711.6512/66

The Acting Secretary of State to the Italian Ambassador ( De Martino )

Excellency: I have the honor to refer to a memorandum of the Embassy which was left with one of the officers of the Department on July 23, 1931,8 and which dealt with the negotiations in progress between the Governments of the United States and Italy for the purpose of amending the treaty for the advancement of peace which was signed on behalf of the two countries on May 5, 1914.

I am gratified that the position of this Government, with reference to the fixing of allowances to be paid by the respective Governments to members of the International Commission, is acceptable to your Government.

I am prepared, moreover, in principle, to agree to the request of the Italian Government that either Government may be permitted to revoke the designation of members designated by common agreement of the two Governments. I feel, however, that it should be made clear that this principle will apply only when there is no case pending before the Commission and also that it is necessary to provide that in such cases the revocation of the designation of a member shall not become effective until his successor has been agreed upon by the two Governments. Accordingly, I feel that the alteration in the draft submitted with this Government’s note of April 16, 1931, should be in the following terms: [Page 618]

(1)
Replace the second sentence of the fifth paragraph of Article I of the draft by the following sentences:

“Either Government may, moreover, at any time when there is no case pending before the Commission, revoke the designation of one or more of the members chosen by the two Governments in common agreement.”

(2)
After the first sentence in the sixth paragraph of Article I, add the following new sentence:

“Revocation by either Government of the designation of a member chosen by the two Governments in common agreement shall not become effective except simultaneously with the designation of his successor.”

I venture to hope that the foregoing arrangement may prove to be satisfactory to your Government.

Accept [etc.]

W. R. Castle, Jr.
  1. Supra.