711.4112A/24
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Great Britain (Houghton)
Sir: The British Ambassador called at the Department on May 5, 1928 and informed me that his Government was consulting the British Dominions about the arbitration and conciliation treaties. He asked whether the United States would be willing to extend the Root Treaty,10 by an exchange of notes, for six or eight months, while the new treaties were being negotiated. I told him that I doubted whether the Root Treaty could be extended merely by an exchange of notes without submitting the matter to the Senate but that I would look into the question and inform him later.
He was subsequently informed that it would not be legally possible to effect an extension by means of an exchange of notes and that if the Root Treaty were to be extended, it would be necessary to conclude an agreement to that effect and submit it to the Senate in the usual way.
I told him that, in any event, I did not think it would make much difference whether the Root Treaty was extended or not. Sir Esme said that he thought he would have some suggestions to make to me within a few days in connection with the subject, but nothing further has yet been received from him.
I am [etc.]
- Arbitration convention, April 4, 1908; Foreign Relations, 1908, p. 382.↩