The provisions of this Article shall not prejudice the right of the Allied States to send other representatives to the Conference, but the Conference shall be under no obligation to await their arrival.

ARTICLE 6.-It shall be the duty of the convener of the Conference to give notice of the application to the Conference to every State party to the dispute and to summon the Conference as speedily as possible.

ARTICLE 7.-The Conference shall regulate its own procedure, and may appoint Committees to enquire and report. In all matters covered by this Article the Conference may decide by the votes of a majority of the Allied States represented.

ARTICLE 8.-The function of the Conference shall be to ascertain the facts with regard to the dispute, and to make a recommendation based on the merits of the case, and calculated to ensure a just and lasting settlement. The recommendation shall not have the force of a decision. ARTICLE 9.-The Allied States agree to place at the disposal of the Conference, or of any Committee appointed by the Conference, to the fullest possible extent compatible with their interests, the information in their possession which bears upon the dispute.

ARTICLE 10.-The recommendation of the Conference shall be addressed to the parties to the dispute, and will not require their assent.

ARTICLE 11. In the event of the Conference being unable to agree upon a recommendation to be addressed to the parties to the dispute, it shall be the duty of the representatives of such of the Allied States attending the Conference as shall be satisfied as to the nature of the recommendation which should be made-provided that they represent not less than a majority of the Allied States attending the Conference-to publish on behalf of the States which they represent a statement setting out what they believe to be the facts with regard to the dispute. They may also add thereto the text of the recommendation which they consider the Conference should have addressed to the parties to the dispute.

ALTERNATIVE ARTICLE 11.-If, in the event of the Con

ference being unable to agree upon a recommendation to be addressed to the parties to the dispute, any State or group of States having taken part in the Conference issues a public statement of the view which, as a result of the deliberations of the Conference, it takes of the dispute, such action shall not be regarded as an unfriendly act by either of the parties to the dispute.

ARTICLE 12. Any one of the Allied States having a dispute pending may apply to the Conference to be relieved from the moratorium imposed by Article 1 (b) on the ground that there is a continuing injury, or on the ground that unless some prompt provision for the reparation or restitution is made the injury will be irreparable. The Conference shall, without deciding in any way upon the merits of the dispute, forthwith consider this application, and may relieve the applicant state from the provisions of the moratorium, or may suggest terms of temporary arrangement as a condition of not relieving the applicant State from the moratorium, and may from time to time reconsider the application and the terms which should be imposed. In the event of relief from the provisions of the moratorium being granted under this Article, any of the Allied States may, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 1, come to the assistance of the State so relieved.

Relations between the Allied States and States not Party to this Convention.

ARTICLE 13.-As regards disputes between one of the Allied States and a State not party to this Convention, the Allied State shall endeavor to obtain submission of the dispute to arbitration, if it be of a suitable nature for arbitration, and if the dispute be not of a nature suitable for arbitration, or if the other State will not agree to submit it to arbitration, the Allied State shall bring it before the Conference. In the latter event, the convener of the Conference shall, in the name of the League of Nations, invite the State not party to this convention to become for this purpose a party to the Conference and to submit its case to the Conference, and in such case the

provisions hereinbefore contained shall be applicable to the dispute both against and in favor of such State in all respects as if it were a party to this Convention.

ARTICLE 14.-If the State not party to this Convention will not accept the invitation to become ad hoc a party to the Conference, the Conference may enquire into the dispute ex parte, and may make a recommendation in the same way as if both parties were present.

ARTICLE 15.-If the Allied State shall be attacked by the other State before an award or a report of the Conference is made, or notwithstanding the compliance of the Allied State with the award or the recommendation (if any) made by the Conference in its report, any of the Allied States may come to its assistance.

ARTICLE 16. In the case of a dispute between States none of whom are parties to this Convention, any of the Allied States may bring the matter before the Conference with a view to the Conference using its good offices to prevent war.

ARTICLE 17.-Any State not party to this Convention may apply to the Conference for leave to become a party. The Conference will forthwith examine the application favorably, and will determine whether it should be granted and whether it is necessary to impose any terms.

Conflict of Treaties.

ARTICLE 18.-A. The Allied States severally agree that the present Convention abrogates all treaty obligations inter se inconsistent with the terms hereof, and that they will not enter into any engagements inconsistent with the terms hereof, and that they will not enter into any engagements inconsistent with the terms hereof.

B. Where any of the Allied States, before becoming party to this Convention, shall have entered into any treaty imposing upon it obligations inconsistent with the terms of this Convention, it shall be the duty of such State to take immediate steps to procure its release from such obligations.

DOCUMENT 9.

Colonel House's proposed draft of a covenant for the League of Nations (typewritten original), July 16, 1918, with his letter of transmittal and explanation to President Wilson (autographed). The articles starred are those checked by President Wilson.

THE PRESIDENT,

EDWARD M. HOUSE.

The White House, Washington.

Dear Governor:

I am enclosing you the draft for a League of Nations. The Preamble and Articles 1, 2, and 3 are the keystone of the arch.

It is absolutely essential for the peoples of the world to realize that they can never have international peace and order if they permit their representatives to sanction the unmoral practices of the past. Every large nation, as you know, has been guilty. Bismarck's forgery of a telegram in order to force a war on France is a notable modern instance. Roosevelt's rape at Panama brings it closely home. If these things had been done by private individuals they would have been classed as criminals.

Articles 1, 2, and 3 might well come under the Preamble. The reason they are segregated is that it gives them emphasis and makes the pledge binding.

No. 4 was written with the intention of satisfying those who would be distrustful of Germany in the event she became a signatory power.

It is necessary I think to do away with the abominable custom of espionage, but to abolish it and leave some dishonorable nation free to surreptitiously prepare for war would be a mistake. It is to be remembered that nations are even more suspicious of one another than

individuals, and such suspicions, as in the case of individuals, is nine times out of ten unfounded. Instead of letting this condition grow there should be some way in which the truth could be openly arrived at.

No. 6 is taken largely from Article 5 of the British Draft. Two alternatives are named for the seat of meetings because it is conceivable that there might be trouble between Holland and Belgium, and if either of them represented X or Y it might be necessary to move the conference to Z.

No. 9. The first and last sentences in this are taken verbatim from Article 7 of the British Draft. I interlarded a sentence providing for a Secretariat and for the funds to maintain it.

To all intents and purposes the representatives of the contracting powers become automatically an International Parliament, and I am sure it will be necessary for them to be in almost continuous session. I believe that it will be a place of such power and consequence that the contracting parties will send their leading statesmen to represent them. It will be a greater honor to become a member of this body than to hold any other appointive position in the world, and it is probable that ex-Presidents, ex-Prime Ministers and ex-Chancellors will be chosen.

No. 10 provides for an International Court to have jurisdiction to determine certain questions which are now determined in many countries in courts of last resort. This court should be smaller than fifteen members.

In the past I have been opposed to a court, but in working the matter out it has seemed to me a necessary part of the machinery. In time the court might well prove the strongest part of it.

No. 11 was written largely to conform with the laws and practices of certain nations, particularly the Latin American Republics.

No. 12 has in mind the possibility of using, if desired, courts of last resort now in being, as a medium for the settlement of disputes in the event other methods prescribed do not appeal to certain nations. I also had in mind that if such a provision were a part of the Cove