711.5512 Anti-War/9
The Belgian Ambassador (De Ligne) to the Secretary of State
Mr. Secretary of State: I did not fail to forward to my Government the drafts of Conciliation and Arbitration Treaties which Your Excellency was pleased to send me with your note of March 26 last.
The texts suggested by the Government of the United States have been given careful examination by the Belgian Government. It accepts them as affording ground for discussion but deems it expedient to suggest a few changes that are shown in the margin of the French translation of the texts which I have the honor to enclose herein.7
In instructing me to lay these proposals before Your Excellency, Mr. Minister for Foreign Affairs wishes me to convey to you the wish of the King’s Government that they be taken into consideration by [Page 3] the Government of the United States. If Your Excellency were pleased to designate one of your Assistants to that effect, I should be extremely happy to give Mr. Silvercruys, Counsellor of the Embassy, all the needful directions to impart to him the reasons why the Belgian Government believes it desirable to have the changes that are here suggested embodied in the treaty draft.
I take [etc.]