LSAGtJS ÛF HAH OKS u
Ca3 4 4 s 1927 «V
Conraunicated
to the C o u nc il,
Itto
f l* 10
G eneva,
June 3 0 t h , 1927,
REQUEST ADDRESSED TO TEE COUUGIL BY 933 GBBKg
GOTEKSIISIIT TOR IÆ C M C U L IlTgiüBgEETAglOlï Off ARTICIES
190 and 192 OE rÆ E TREAT? OF VERSAILLES»
Il ote by t h e S e a r e t a r y - G e n e r a l .
The S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l h a s the h o n o u r to
c i r c u l a t e to thé G o u n ô il the f o l l o w i n g l e t t e r ,
d a t e d June 2 4 t h , 1927, from 11. Y a s s i l i D e n d r a m i s ,
C h arg é d 1A f f a i r e s o f Greece a t Berne ,
Berne,
June 2 4 t h , 1927
To th e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l ,
(Translation) .
S ir,
On J a n u a r y 2n d , 1923, an a p p l i c a t i o n f o r the
c a n c e l l a t i o n of a c o n t r a c t f o r t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a c r u i s e r
"by t h e VULCAN s h i p y a r d s v-as made "by the Greek Government t o
the Greco-German T r i b u n a l a
The c o n t r a c t , which was c o n c lu d e d
i n 1912, was f o r the c o n s t r u c t i o n o f a c r u i s e r t o he known
a s the " S a l e m i s " «
I n i t s a p p l i c a t i o n to the T r i b u n a l , th e Greek
Government a r g u e d , i n a d d i t i o n to c e r t a i n t e c h n i c a l c o n s i d e r a ­
t i o n s , t h a t the d e l i v e r y oS t h e ,:3 a la m is -T was legally i m p o s s i b l e ,
i n view of the e x p r e s s p r o v i s i o n s of t h e T r e a t y of P e a c e , which
i n A r t i c l e s 190 and 192 p r o h i b i t e d the c o n s t r u c t i o n and e x p o r t
of w a r s h i p s by Germany,
A year
or two l a t e r the C o n fe re n c e of Ambassadors
a d o p t e d an i d e n t i c a l i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of the T r e a t y .
wishing
to d e f i n e the c o n d i t i o n s u n d e r v.'hich t h e m i l i t a r y and n a v a l
c l a u s e s of the T r e a t y were to he c a r r i e d out "by Germany, the
C o n fe re n c e drew up on J u l y 1 7 t h , 192 5, a l i s t o f m a t e r i a l
the
m a n u f a c t u r e and e x p o r t of which was t o be p r o h i b i t e d .
T his l i s t c o n t a i n s u n d e r t h e number 3 2 b i s the f o l l o w i n g i t e m s :
” 32bis.
V e s s e l s of a l l t y p e s and d i m e n s i o n s
c o n s t r u c t e d or e q u i p p e d f o r u s e a s v e s s e l s of war ;
,f3 2 t e r .
P r i n c i p a l e n g i n e s , b o i l e r s , and a u x i l i a r y
e n g i n e s o p e r a t e d by any k i n d of motive power and i n t e n d e d f o r
v e s s e l s to be u s e d a s v e s s e l s of w a r , i n c l u d i n g s u b m a r i n e s ” .
Up t o J a n u a r y 3 l s t , 1927, the C o n fe re n c e
of
A mbassadors c o n s i d e r e d t h a t t h i s l i s t rem ain ed i n f o r c e .
It
was t h u s e s t a b l i s h e d t h a t a s the c o n s t r u c t i o n and e x p o r t of
w arsh ip s- was c o n t r a r y to b o t h the l e t t e r and the s p i r i t o f the
m i l i t a r y c l a u s e s c-f t h e T r e a t y ,
n o t be d e l i v e r e d o u t s i d e Germany.
the c r u i s e r n S a l a m i s ” could
On F e b r u a r y 1 s t , 192-7, t h e
Gorman Government i t s e l f a g r e e d t o t h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f the
T r e a t y by i n t r o d u c i n g a B i l l , w hich was a p p ro v e d by the
C o n f e r e n c e , d e t a i l i n g t h e methods of a p p l i c a t i o n o f the m i l i t a r y
and n a v a l c l a u s e s »
A r t i c l e 2 of t h i s B i l l m erely in c o rp o ra te d
t e x t u a l l y I t e m 32 b i s . of t h e 1925 l i s t .
At t h e German G overnm entr s e x p r e s s r e q u e s t , h o w e v e r ,
the C o n f e r e n c e
r a i s e d no o b j e c t i o n t o the i n c l u s i o n i n the
German B i l l of an A r t i c l e
11, u n d e r which a l l v e s s e l s o rd e r e d
from Germany b e f o r e A u g u st 1 s t , 1914, were e x c e p t e d f r c m c t h e
export p r o h ib itio n .
C o u n c i l l o r of
T h is c l a u s e - which , a s the J e r man
Embassy a t P a r i s e x p r e s s l y s t a t e d to th e
3
-
S e c r e t a r i a t ox the C o n f e r e n c e
of Ambassadors on December 3 1 s t ,
1926, was i n t e n d e d s o l e l y t o c o v e r t h e case of the " S a l a m i s ” c l e a r l y i n f r i n g e d A r t i c l e s 190 and 192 of the T r e a t y , i n which
no d i s t i n c t i o n i s drawn b etw een m a t e r i a l o r d e r e d b e f o r e and
m a t e r i a l o r d e r e d a f t e r the w a r , and t h u s c o n s t i t u t e d an amend­
ment t o the P eace t r e a t y , which c o u ld only be made by the
unanimous d e c i s i o n of the s i g n a t o r y P o w e r s .
The Greek
Government s e v e r a l t i m e s e x p l a i n e d to the C onference the l e g a l
grounds on which i t f c o u ^ it t h a t A r t i c l e
11 must be o m i t t e d ,
and s t a t e d t h a t i t c o u l d n o t h o l d i t s e l f bound by any d e c i s i o n
t h a t might be r e a c h e d on t h i s p o i n t w i t h o u t i t s c o n s e n t .
V/hile r a i s i n g no o b j e c t i o n to the i n c l u s i o n of
A rticle
11 i n the German B i l l ,
the C o n fe re n c e t h o u g h t i t w e l l
to s p e c i f y , i n a l e t t e r t o the P r e s i d e n t of the Greco-German
Mixed T r i b u n a l , t h a t t h i s d e c i s i o n had b e e n t a k e n f o r r e a s o n s
of e x p e d i e n c y and was n o t i n t e n d e d a s an i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of the
T r e a t y . and t h a t the i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of a r t i c l e s 190 and 192
re m ained an open q u e s t i o n .
" The German Government and the
Greek G o v e rn m e n t", i t was s t a t e d , " a r e e n t i r e l y f r e e to a s s e r t
th eir several in terp retatio n s" .
I n i t s p r e s e n t fo rm , A r t i c l e 11 of the German Law
c o n s t i t u t e s an amendment to t h e T r é s o r , and any d e c i s i o n
based on t h a t A r t i c l e and a u t h o r i s i n g the c o n s t r u c t i o n or
e x p o r t of a w a r s h i p would be c o n t r a r y to the l e t t e r and the
s p i r i t of t h e T r e a t y .
considers i t s e l f e n t i t l e d
of the law*
The Greek Government the t e f o r e
to r e f u s e to be bound by A r t i c l e
11
The T r e a t y draws no d i s t i n c t i o n betw een o r d e r s
p l a c e d b e f o r e and a f t e r any p a r t i c u l a r d a t e f o r m a t e r i a l of
~
4
-
which the m a n u f a c t u r e and e x p e r t a r e p r o h i b i t e d .
Hure’ v e r,
th~ush t h e German lav; a s a wh ole h a s r e c e i v e d the a u t h o r i t y
cf the G n f e r e n c e 1s a p p r o v a l i n a d v a n c e , the f a c t r e m a i n s
that as r e g a r d s A r t i c l e
careful to s ta te
11 the Gi n f e r e n c e i t s e l f h a s been
t h a t s i n c e i t d o e s n o t a d m it th e v a l i d i t y
of the German Government1s v iev ;, i t r e f u s e s t > a c c e p t t h a t
I ' l v e m m e n t 1s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n
T r e a t y of V e r s a i l l e s ,
of t h e r e l e v a n t c l a u s e s of the
F u r t h e r , by l e a v i n g open the q u e s t i o n
cf th e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of A r t i c l e s 190 and 192 of the T r e a t y
of V e r s a i l l e s , i t h a s - by i m p l i c a t i o n , i n d e e d , b u t q u i t e
d e f i n i t e l y - a d m i t t e d the need of an a u t h e n t i c i n t e r p r e t a t i o n
of t h o s e A r t i c l e s i n o r d e r t o s e t t l e
the q u e s t i o n w h e t h e r
A r t i c l e 11 of the German B i l l i s or i s n o t c o m p a t i b l e w i t h
the T r e a t y »
A s , h o w e v e r , i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h the P r o t o c o l of
December 1 2 t h , 1926, the C o n f e r e n c e
of a m b a s s a d o r s h as
renounced the d u t y of e n f o r c i n g t h e o b s e r v a n c e of t h e m i l i t a r y
and n a v a l c l a u s e s of the T r e a t y , t h i s work: h a s been e n t r u s t e d
to the l e a g u e of n a t i o n s s i n c e J a n u a r y 3 1 s t ,
On the
1927'.
b a s i s of the f e r e going c o n s i d e r a t i o n s , I have
the h o n o u r , on b e h a l f of the Greek Government t o r e q u e s t you to
lay t h i s q u e s t i o n b e f o r e the C o u n c i l r f the League of H â t i o n s
with a view to o b t a i n i n g a n o f f i c i a l i n t e r p r e t a t i o n of --.r t i c l e s
190 and 192 of t h e T r e a t y of V e r s a i l l e s by any means a t the
Counci V s d i s p o s a l , such a s a r e q u e s t to the Perm anent C o u r t of
I n t e r n a t i o n a ^ J u s t i c e f o r an a d v i s o r y
v’i t h A r t i c l e
opinion in accordance
14 of the C o v e n a n t .
S hould t h i s l a t t e r p r o c e d u r e be f o l l o w e d , the Greek
Government c o n s i d e r s t h a t the C o u r t 's * o p i n i o n sh ould he a s k e d
on the q u e s t i o n w h e t h e r t h e c l a u s e s i n a r t i c l e s
190 and 192 of
the T r e a t y of V e r s a i l l e s p r o h i b i t i n g the c o n s t r u c t i o n o f w a r s h i p s
5
-
or n a v a l war m a t e r i a l i n Germany and t h e i r e x p o r t to
f r r e i g n c o u n t r i e s a p p l y to v e s s e l s whose c o n s t r u c t i o n
has "been u n d e r t a k e n by German s h i p y a r d s .u n d e r c o n t r a c t a
c oncluded "before A u gust 1 s t , 1914.
( S ig n e d )
V A S :JH D'JUm&ÏÏIS .