793.94/13986: Telegram
The Consul at Geneva (Bucknell) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 30—8:22 p.m.]
259. My 255, September 29, 9 p.m. The Council this afternoon adopted a report68 declaring that in view of Japan’s refusal of the invitation extended under article 17 and of the fact that the Assembly had already found Japanese military operations in China to to “illicit”, article 16 is applicable. The report states that League members are entitled not only to act as before on the basis of the Assembly’s previous findings but are also now entitled to adopt individually the measures provided for in article 16. It declares, however, that the coordination of the measures that have been or may be taken can not yet be considered. Sweden, Belgium, and Latvia voted for the report but with reservations referring to their previous statements regarding application of article 16.
Koo said that while the report did not completely satisfy his Government the declaration that article 16 was applicable marked a step forward. He reserved the right to ask at a later date that the Council take steps to coordinate action of states in carrying out [Page 518] provisions of the article and accepted the report subject to the understanding that the Council remained seized of the Chinese appeal.
- See League of Nations, Official Journal, November 1938, p. 878.↩