711.60D4/28
The Minister in Finland (Brodie) to the Acting Secretary
of State
No. 990
Helsingfors, July 3,
1933.
[Received August 1.]
Sir: With reference to the Department’s
Instruction No. 118 of April 3, 1933, concerning the proposed
military service convention between the United States and Finland, I
have the honor to inform the Department that the observations made
in the Department’s instruction herein referred to were brought to
the attention of the Finnish Foreign Office which duly took the
matter under consideration through the competent authorities of the
Finnish Government.
After considerable deliberation, the Foreign Office, through Mr.
Bruno Kivikoski, has drawn up a new proposal termed “Convention
between
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the United States
of America and Finland Relating to Military Service and other Acts
of Allegiance” to which the Government of Finland is ready to
subscribe. Copies of the proposed convention are herewith enclosed
for the Department’s consideration. From the proposal, the
Department will perceive that it is more or less similar to our
treaty with Norway, exempting from military service and other acts
of allegiance certain nationals as approved by the Senate on
December 20, 1930.
Respectfully yours,
[Enclosure]
Draft Convention Between the United States and Finland Relating
to Military Service and Other Acts of
Allegiance, Presented by the Finnish Foreign
Office
The President of the United States of America and the President
of the Republic of Finland, being desirous of regulating the
liability for military service and other acts of allegiance of
persons who are nationals of both countries, under their
respective laws, have decided to conclude a convention for that
purpose, and have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries:
The President of the United States of America: . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . and the President of the Republic of
Finland: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Who, having communicated to each other their full powers found to
be in good and due form, have agreed upon the following
articles:
Article I
A person possessing the nationality of Finland and of the United
States of America under the respective laws of these countries,
shall not if he has his habitual residence, that is, the place
of his general abode, in one of the countries, be held liable
for military service or any other act of allegiance during a
temporary stay in the other country.
Provided that, if such stay is protracted beyond the period of
two years, it shall be presumed to be permanent in the absence
of sufficient evidence to the contrary.
Article II
The present convention shall be ratified. It shall come into
force on the day of the exchange of ratifications, and shall
continue in force for ten years. If six months before the
termination of the said ten years, neither Contracting Party
shall have given to the other party notice of an intention to
terminate the convention, it shall remain in force until the end
of twelve months after either of the parties shall have given to
the other party notice of such intention.
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In Witness Whereof,
the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed
this convention and have hereunto affixed their seals.
Done
in duplicate in the English and Finnish
languages which are equally authentic, at Helsingfors, this . .
. . day of . . . . . . .
. . . . . . .
. . . . . . .
