500.C001/1114
The Consul at Geneva (Gilbert) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 4.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to my despatch No. 1252 Political dated May 2, 1935 respecting the legal status of Japan’s relations with the League following her definitive withdrawal, and particularly to the confidential Secretariat memorandum enclosed therewith55 which deals with the representation of non-member states and their nationals on League committees, and to submit the following report on the action taken at the eighty-sixth session of the Council respecting Japanese representation on League bodies in accordance with the principles enunciated in that memorandum.
In my despatch under reference I discussed the question of Japanese representation on the Advisory Commission for the Protection and Welfare of Children and Young People, and on the Opium Advisory Committee. As the Department is aware, the Protection and [Page 183] Welfare Commission consists of two Committees, the Traffic in Women and Children Committee and the Child Welfare Committee. At their recent meetings both of these Committees expressed the wish that the Japanese Government be invited to continue its collaboration with the Commission. Accordingly when on May 23, 1935 the Council’s Rapporteur presented his reports on the work of these Committees he proposed and the Council agreed without discussion to give effect to the wishes expressed by these Committees respecting Japanese representation.
At a private meeting of the Council on the same date the following note by the Secretary-General was considered:
“On May 20th, 1935, at the opening meeting of its 20th Session, the Advisory Committee on Traffic in Opium and Other Dangerous Drugs took note of the fact that the Japanese Government, as a consequence of Japan’s withdrawal from the League, had ceased to be represented on the Committee. The Committee unanimously decided, on the proposal of the Representative of the United Kingdom, supported by the Representatives of Austria, China, France, India, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden, to request the Council to take the necessary steps to ensure the continued representation of Japan on the Advisory Committee.
“The Chinese Representative, while supporting the proposal, made a reservation on the legal question concerning representation on League Committees of Governments which have withdrawn from the League. The Committee decided to inform the Council of this reservation, at the same time pointing out that this was a question which did not fall within the competence of the Committee.”
The Council agreed to the suggestion that Japan continue to be represented on the Advisory Committee.
Up to the present time these are the only cases in which action has been taken respecting Japanese representation following her withdrawal from the League.
Respectfully yours,
- Memorandum not printed.↩