of the principle embodied in the President's peace plan, a copy of which I herewith enclose. I have submitted to the Washington representatives of those countries a copy of a memorandum, which I also enclose, covering the suggested details. It occurs to me that it might be well for you to supplement the work that is being done through the representatives here by bringing these details to the attention of the Foreign Office and explaining them. They are offered merely by way of suggestion and we are prepared to consider anything that the other countries may suggest as a means of perfecting the plan. It is very gratifying to the President and to myself that the plan has been so quickly and so widely accepted. We believe that it will go forward toward the prevention of war, and I think that by fall we will have reached an understanding with all the nations in regard to both the principle and the details and thus be able to complete the treaties during the present year. I am [etc.] W. J. BRYAN. PRESIDENT WILSON'S PEACE PROPOSAL. The parties hereto agree that all questions of whatever character and nature, in dispute between them, shall, when diplomatic efforts fail, be submitted for investigation and report to an international commission (the composition to be agreed upon); and the contracting parties agree not to declare war or begin hostilities until such investigation is made and report submitted. The investigation shall be conducted as a matter of course upon the initiative of the commission, without the formality of a request from either party; the report shall be submitted within (time to be agreed upon) from the date of the submission of the dispute, but the parties hereto reserve the right to act independently on the subject matter in dispute after the report is submitted. SUPPLEMENTARY MEMORANDUM BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE. In the peace plan proposed by the President to all the nations, the composition of the International Commission is left to agreement between the parties, and I am authorized to suggest for the consideration of those who are willing to enter into this agreement: 1. That the International Commission be of five members, to be composed as follows: one member from each of the contracting countries, to be chosen by the Government; one member to be chosen by each of the contracting countries from some other country, and the fifth member of the Commission to be agreed upon by the two Governments, the Commission to be appointed as soon as convenient after the making of the treaty, vacancies to be filled according to the original appointment. 2. The time also is to be agreed upon, and it is suggested that that time be one year. If a year is considered too long or too short, this Government will consider either a greater or a less period. 3. This Government is prepared to consider the question of maintaining the status quo as to military and naval preparation during the period of investi gation, if the contracting nation desires to include this, and this Government suggests tentatively that the parties agree that there shall be no change in the military and naval program during the period of investigation unless danger to one of the contracting parties from a third power compels a change in said program, in which case the party feeling itself menaced by a third power, shall confidentially communicate the matter in writing to the other contracting party and it shall thereupon be released from the obligation not to change its military or naval program, and this release will at the same time operate as a release of the other contracting party. This protects each party from the other in ordinary cases, and yet provides freedom of action in emergencies. All of these suggestions, however, are presented for consideration, and not with the intention of imposing any fixed conditions. The principle of investigation being accepted, the details are matters for conference and consideration. File No. 711.0012/146a. To the diplomatic officers of the United States in Argentina, AustriaHungary, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Guatemala, Haiti, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Spain, and Sweden. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, August 12, 1913. SIR: I transmit herewith a copy of the treaty entered into on the 7th instant with Salvador. You will notice that it embodies all of the details suggested in connection with the President's plan for securing investigation in all cases of dispute. While Salvador was willing to have the treaty made in exact accordance with the suggestions submitted, you will make it clear to the Government to which you are accredited that the suggestions in regard to details are purely tentative and that we are ready to consider any modifications that may be suggested. Our chief purpose is to secure investigation in all cases whatsoever and time for deliberation before any declaration of war or commencement of hostilities. Twenty-six nations have now endorsed this principle, and these nations represent more than four-fifths of the population of the world. It is not expected that all of the countries will agree to the same details and it is not at all necessary that the several treaties shall be identical in language. Please make this clear and let us know what suggestions the [blank] Government has to make and when it is ready to take up the matter with a view to agreeing upon a treaty. I am [etc.] W. J. BRYAN. File No. 711.0012/193a. To the diplomatic officers of the United States in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Peru. [Telegram-Paraphrase.] DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, September 23, 1913. The Department desiring to complete negotiations for a treaty according to the President's plan, already sent you, providing for investigation in all cases, the principle of which has already been accepted, you will see the Minister for Foreign Affairs and urge consideration of details; if those submitted by the Department are unsatisfactory any changes desired will be cheerfully considered. Treaties embodying the principle and the details as submitted have been signed by Guatemala, Panama, and Salvador. BRYAN. To be printed when proclaimed. File No. 711.0012/238a. To the diplomatic officers of the United States in Argentina, AustriaHungary, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Haiti, Italy, Persia, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Siam, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay and Venezuela. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, December 18, 1913. SIR: I enclose herewith a copy of the treaty with Salvador, which provides for investigation in all cases of disputes. Four other treaties, identical in language, have been signed with Guatemala, Panama, Honduras and Nicaragua. We have just signed a treaty with the Netherlands, a copy of which is also enclosed. You will notice by comparing the two treaties that the chief point of difference lies in the elimination from the Netherlands treaty of the entire section relating to the military and naval status. This Government has at all times been willing to omit this section or to modify it to suit the wishes of contracting nations. There are some minor changes, the two principal being: first, the provision requiring the nations to furnish the necessary facts during investigation; and, second, the provision that the fifth member of the commission shall not be a citizen of either contracting country. I send you the copy of the treaty with the Netherlands in order that you may bring it, and the Salvador treaty again, to the attention of the Government to which you are accredited in the hope that we may reach an early agreement in regard to details and be ready to sign the treaty within a short time. The President in his recent message expressed gratification that thirty-one nations had accepted the principle of the proposed peace plan. These nations comprise more than three fourths of the population of the world. We feel that the treaties made in accordance with this plan take a long step in advance, and are much pleased that the plan has been so generally approved. I am [etc.] W. J. BRYAN. PROHIBITION OF IMPORTATION OF AIGRETTES, EGRET PLUMES, File No. 611.006/81. ETC. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, October 29, 1913. To Diplomatic Officers of the United States. GENTLEMEN: Paragraph 347 of the Tariff Act of October 3, 1913, contains the following provision: That the importation of aigrettes, egret plumes or so-called osprey plumes, and the feathers, quills, heads, wings, tails, skins, or parts of skins, of wild birds, either raw or manufactured, and not for scientific or educational purposes, is hereby prohibited; but this provision shall not apply to the feathers or plumes of ostriches, or to the feathers or plumes of domestic fowls of any kind. To be printed when proclaimed. Out of abundant caution and with a view to obviating any occasion for embarrassment to the ladies of your families, the Department brings to your knowledge that this prohibition extends to the prohibited plumage when brought in as baggage, notwithstanding the fact that it may form the trimming of hats or other wearing apparel, and that the customs officers of the United States have been instructed by the Treasury Department to remove such plumage from the hats of women passengers arriving in ports of the United States. No exception will be made in the cases of ladies of the families of diplomatic officers of the United States. I am [etc.] For the Secretary of State: JOHN B. MOORE. INVITATION TO THE PANAMA-PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION TO BE HELD AT SAN FRANCISCO IN 1915. File No. 811.607 G/289. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, September 17, 1913. To the diplomatic officers of the United States. GENTLEMEN: The Department by its circular of February 5, 1912,1 invited, in pursuance of the Joint Resolution of Congress approved February 15, 1911, and on behalf of the Government and people of the United States, the nations of the earth to participate in the PanamaPacific International Exposition to be held at San Francisco, California, in 1915. for the purpose of celebrating the completion of the Panama Canal; and it directed you to communicate the President's invitation to the Governments to which you are accredited. Congress, in the Naval Appropriation Act approved March 4, 1911, provided further, as follows: The President is further authorized and respectfully requested, in extending his invitation to the foreign nations in pursuance of the aforesaid joint resolution of Congress, to invite their representatives and their fleets to assemble at Hampton Roads, Virginia, and from thence come to the city of Washington, there to be formally welcomed by the President; and, at the conclusion of the ceremonies at Washington, the President is requested to proceed to Hampton Roads and there review the assembled fleets as they start on their voyage to the city of San Francisco. In pursuance of the above provision, you are now instructed to convey to the Governments to which you are accredited an invitation from the President to send representatives and as many of their national war vessels as they may deem proper to Hampton Roads, Virginia, to arrive there early in 1915, at a date to be subsequently communicated. The President will, as contemplated by the Act, welcome the representatives of the foreign nations accepting the invitation on their arrival at Washington, and on the conclusion of the ceremonies at the capital the President will proceed to Hampton Roads where he will review the assembled fleets as they start on their voyage to San Francisco, where they will take part in the opening of the Panama-Pacific Exposition. 1 For. Rel 1912, pp. 4-5. In communicating this invitation to the Governments to which you are accredited, you will express the pleasure which the President would feel should they decide to accept it by appointing representatives and by sending as many of their national war vessels as they may deem proper to assemble at Hampton Roads as above indicated. I am [etc.] W. J. BRYAN, File No. 811.607G/443. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, November 25, 1913. To the diplomatic officers of the United States: GENTLEMEN: On September 17, 1913, the Department addressed to the diplomatic officers of the United States a circular in which, pursuant to the provision in the Naval Appropriation Act approved March 4, 1911, they were instructed to convey to the Governments to which they are accredited an invitation from the President of the United States to send representatives and as many of their national war vessels as they may deem proper to Hampton Roads, Virginia, to arrive there early in 1915, at a date to be subsequently communicated for the purpose of participating in the celebration of the completion of the Panama Canal. It is further set forth in the circular of September 17, 1913, that: The President will, as contemplated by the Act, welcome the representatives ` of the foreign nations accepting the invitation on their arrival at Washington, and on the conclusion of the ceremonies at the capital the President will proceed to Hampton Roads, where he will review the assembled fleets as they start on their voyage to San Francisco, where they will take part in the opening of the Panama-Pacific Exposition. The Department having received an inquiry as to whether by "representatives" is meant naval officers commanding war vessels or additional representatives of the Government to which the invitation was extended, and being desirous that no misunderstanding arise as to this Government's invitation concerning the quality of such representatives, will be glad to have you inform the Govern ments to which you are accredited that the naval program to be carried out at Hampton Roads and at Washington before the fleet starts on its journey through the canal, is entirely distinct from the more extensive ceremonies to be held at San Francisco after the Exposition shall have been opened, and that therefore the "representatives" that are to assemble with the fleets at Hampton Roads are to be naval representatives only. These naval representatives are not, however, to be only officers of the Navy in a military sense, but also civil officials of the Navy, such as Lords of the Admiralty and Ministers of Marine. In communicating this information to the Governments to which you are accredited you will express the earnest hope that as many of these officials as possible will honor the occasion with their presence. I am [etc.] For the Secretary of State: |