711.59a12A/1

The Danish Minister (Brun) to the Acting Secretary of State

No. 34

Sir: I have the honor to refer to the note of June 13, 1928 of Mr. Secretary of State Kellogg1 in which, after having declared his readiness to sign with me on the following day, June 14th 1928, the proposed treaty of arbitration between the United States and Denmark,2 the Secretary added a proposal to the effect that a similar treaty of arbitration should, if agreeable to the Government of Iceland, be concluded between the United States and Iceland.

This proposal was in due course placed before the Government of Iceland through the Danish Foreign Office, and I now have the pleasure to advise you, that the Government of Iceland will be glad to conclude with the Government of the United States a treaty of arbitration similar to the Danish-American treaty of June 14th 1928, and that I have been authorized to negotiate and sign such a treaty by a Royal full power signed by His Majesty the King on March 19th 1930, which is now in my possession.

With regard to the proposed treaty I am directed to state, that it will be sufficient and satisfactory to the Government of Iceland that only the English language be used, and that the text be identical with the Danish-American treaty, with the following exceptions:

1) The Preamble.

Instead of “His Majesty the King of Denmark and Iceland and the President of the United States of America” should be said “His Majesty the King of Iceland and Denmark and the President of the United States of America”.

Instead of “His Majesty the King of Denmark and Iceland: Mr. Constantin Brun, His Majesty’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Washington” should be said “His Majesty the King of Iceland and Denmark: Mr. Constantin Brun, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Washington” (leaving out the words “His Majesty’s”).

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2) Article II d, should be replaced by a provision to the effect that, in the event that Iceland becomes a member of the League of Nations, the treaty shall not be invoked in respect of any dispute which depends upon or involves the observance of the obligations of Iceland in accordance with the covenant of the League of Nations.

3) Article III, first paragraph, should say “The present treaty shall be ratified”. In view of the circumstance that, in due time, the treaty is to be ratified by Denmark on behalf of Iceland, it should be avoided to state in the text, as in the Danish-American treaty, in which way or by whom the ratification of Iceland is to be done. On the other hand, if the Government of the United States so desire, there is no objection to a provision in a new paragraph stating the procedure to be followed with regard to the ratification of the United States.

4) The signature on behalf of Iceland should be as follows: “For Iceland: C. Brun”. Perhaps it might be considered appropriate that in return the signature of the American Plenipotentiary should be as follows: “For the United States: N. N.”

5) Finally the text should in a few instances be changed as made necessary by the fact that the treaty is concluded for Iceland, not for Denmark, and in the English language only. A copy of the Danish edition of the Danish-American treaty is herewith enclosed, in which the desired alterations have been underlined (in red).3

I venture to hope that no objections will be found to the above named changes and that you will be pleased to cause a draft in the English language to be transmitted to me in such terms as you may wish to propose.

I have [etc.]

C. Brun