710.G International Law/6: Telegram
The Chairman of the American Delegation (Hull) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received December 20—4:30 a.m.]
77. For the President and Phillips. Our major problems both affirmative and negative are now concluded. The subcommittee on the Rights and Duties of States presented its report to the full committee today. It contained the following article:
“Article 8. No state has the right to intervene in the internal or external affairs of another.”
The demand for unanimous affirmative vote was very vociferous and more or less wild and unreasonable. The vote of the American delegation was as follows, with the reservation that follows it, to wit
“I vote in favor of the first 10 articles subject to the terms of the statement and declaration I made to this meeting a few minutes ago.”
The text of the statement follows:
“The policy and attitude of the United States Government toward every important phase of international relationships in this hemisphere could scarcely be made more clear and definite than they have been made by both word and action especially since March 4. I have no disposition therefore to indulge in any repetition or rehearsal of these acts and utterances and shall not do so. Every observing person must by this time thoroughly understand that under the Roosevelt administration the United States Government is as much opposed as any other government to interference with the freedom, the sovereignty, or other internal affairs or processes of the governments of other nations.
In addition to numerous acts and utterances in connection with the carrying out of these doctrines and policies President Roosevelt during recent weeks gave out a public statement expressing his disposition to open negotiations with the Cuban Government for the purpose of dealing with the treaty which has existed since 1903.44 I feel safe in undertaking to say that under our support of the general principle of non-intervention as has been suggested no government need fear any intervention on the part of the United States under the Roosevelt administration. I think it probably unfortunate that during the brief period of this Conference there is apparently not time within which to prepare interpretations and definitions of these fundamental terms that are embraced in the report. Such definitions and interpretations would enable every government to proceed in a uniform way without any difference of opinion or of interpretations. I hope that at the earliest possible date such very important work will be done. In the meantime in case of differences of interpretations and also until they can be worked out and codified for the common use of every government I desire to say that the United States Government in all of its international associations and relationships and conducts will follow scrupulously the doctrines and policies which it has pursued since March 4 which are embodied in the different addresses of President Roosevelt since that time and in the recent peace address of myself on the 15th day of December before this Conference and in the law of nations as generally recognized and accepted.”
Article 11 was about non-recognition of territory acquired by force and provoked some controversy between Peru and Colombia. I had some phraseology which was not entirely satisfactory and in the circumstances I announced that “in view of the disagreement on article 11 the United States Government refrains from passing judgment on it at this time”.
We were loyal to our doctrines and policies and to all of our professed friends and friendly interests. Naturally some of the subsidized [Page 203] and other more poisonous individuals and newspapers will attempt to distort what to sane and reasonable citizens down here was an absolutely sound and logical position on our part.
The 10 days Chaco armistice is proceeding. The League of Nations Commission reaches Montevideo next Sunday to await here the plenipotentiaries of the two warring Governments. The general feeling is that agreement to arbitrate and demobilize will come about.
- Treaty of relations with the United States, signed at Habana, May 22, 1903, Foreign Relations, 1904, p. 243.↩