[Enclosure—Translation]
The French Ambassador (Claudel) to the Secretary of
State
Washington, January 5, 1928.
Mr. Secretary of State: By a letter of
December 28th last your Excellency was kind enough to make known
the sentiments of the Government of the United States concerning
the suggestion of a treaty proposed by the Government of the
Republic in the month of June 1927,3 with
a view to the condemnation of war and the renunciation thereof
as an instrument of national policy between France and the
United States.
According to your Excellency, the two governments, instead of
limiting themselves to a bilateral treaty, would contribute more
fully to the peace of the world by uniting their efforts to
obtain the
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adhesion of all
the principal powers of the world to a declaration renouncing
war as an instrument of their national policy.
Such a declaration, if it were subscribed to by the principal
powers, could not fail to be an impressive example to all the
nations of the world and might very well lead them to subscribe
in their turn to the same pact, thus bringing into effect as
among all the nations of the world an arrangement which at first
was only suggested as between France and the United States.
The Government of the United States, therefore, would be disposed
to join the Government of the Republic with a view to concluding
a treaty between the principal powders of the world which, open
to the signature of all nations, would condemn war, would
contain a declaration to renounce it as an instrument of
national policy and would substitute therefor the pacific
settlement of disputes between nations.
Your Excellency added that if the Government of the Republic
agrees thus to join the Government of the United States and the
other principal powers of the world in an appropriate
multilateral treaty, your Excellency would be happy to undertake
immediately conversations leading to the elaboration of a draft
inspired by the suggestions of M. Briand and destined to be
proposed jointly by France and the United States to the other
nations of the world.
The Government of the Republic appreciated sincerely the
favorable reception given by the Government of the United States
to the proposal of M. Briand. It believes that the procedure
suggested by your Excellency and carried out in a manner
agreeable to public opinion and to the popular sentiment of the
different nations would appear to be of such nature as to
satisfy the views of the French Government. It would be
advantageous immediately to sanction the general character of
this procedure by affixing the signatures of France and the
United States.
I am authorized to inform you that the Government of the Republic
is disposed to join with the Government of the United States in
proposing for agreement by all nations a treaty to be signed at
the present time by France and the United States and under the
terms of which the high contracting parties shall renounce all
war of aggression and shall declare that for the settlement of
differences of whatever nature which may arise between them they
will employ all pacific means. The high contracting parties will
engage to bring this treaty to the attention of all States and
invite them to adhere.
The Government of the Republic is convinced that the principles
thus proclaimed cannot but be received with gratitude by the
entire world, and it does not doubt that the efforts of the two
governments to insure universal adoption will be crowned with
full success.
Accept [etc.]
