Office of the Historian

711.90H/52: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Straus)

Washington, March 23, 1936—4 p.m.

98. Your telegrams No. 182, March 10, noon, and No. 227, March 16, 7:00 p.m.13 You are authorized, upon the arrival of the full powers of the Afghan representative, to proceed to signature of the Agreement submitted with your despatch No. 2570 of February 26, 1936.

Presuming that the Afghan Government still desires to sign in English and French as stated in your telegram No. 863, October 7, 6:00 p.m.,14 the phrase “in the English and French languages, both texts having equal validity”, should be inserted after the word “duplicate” in Article IV. The French text submitted is approved subject to literal translation of “by general international usage” in Article II.

With reference to the memorandum transmitted with your despatch No. 2570 the Department desires to point out that the instrument of which signature is proposed is an executive agreement, not a treaty, and that ratification by the Senate is not required. In this connection, the word “provisional” should be inserted to precede the word “agreement” in the title.

Please send copies of your telegrams under reference and this reply by pouch to the Embassy at Moscow.

Hull
  1. Latter not printed.↩
  2. Foreign Relations, 1935, vol. i, p. 561.↩