512.4A1A1/10–444
The Secretary of State to the Director General of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (Lehman)
Sir: I acknowledge the receipt of your note of October 4, 1944 in which you submitted to this Government for its comments the English texts of the draft Sanitary Conventions which were approved in principle by the Council at its Second Session in Montreal.
The appropriate officers of this Government have now completed their review of the English texts. I wish to advise you that the draft Conventions are, in general, acceptable to this Government.
There are numerous places in the drafts where in our opinion the wording or drafting style could be improved upon but we do not consider it necessary to insist that any changes of this nature be made. However, for your convenience I am attaching a memorandum38 calling attention to certain instances in which, in our opinion, some such changes might be made. The Department will be pleased to put at your disposal an officer of the Treaty Section of the Division of Research and Publication to collaborate with your staff in the editorial work of preparing the Conventions in final form.
[Page 351]The French texts submitted with your note of October 19, 194439 have been examined by the Central Translating Division of this Department and I am attaching a memorandum39 containing certain suggestions of relatively minor importance for improving the wording of these texts.
As I advised you in my letter of August 26, 1944, it is the view of this Government that the proposed Conventions should be submitted to the United States Senate for its advice and consent before the Conventions are brought into force as to the United States. Accordingly, it may be necessary for the United States Government to delay its signature of the Conventions until after their consideration by the Senate.
Accept [etc.]