862.811/63
The Ambassador in Germany (Dodd) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 28.]
Sir:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
It will be recalled that in Article II of the Treaty between the United States and Germany Restoring Friendly Relations, signed at Berlin on August 25, 1921,32 it was specifically stipulated that the rights and advantages of Part XII, inter alia, of the Treaty of Versailles will be accorded to the United States. So far as the Embassy is informed, no formal notification of this action of the German Government33 has been given to the United States. On the other hand, not all of the signatories of the Treaty of Versailles were advised and, as may be seen from the text of the announcement, the note was formally communicated only to those states represented on the various streams commissions.
It has been learned that Great Britain, France, Czechoslovakia and Rumania have in the meantime protested against this latest unilateral denunciation. It is understood that the British note replied specifically to the German argument that no concessions had been made to Germany in the various negotiations concerning these waterways. It is anticipated that negotiations will eventually take place between Germany and the interested countries respecting traffic on German streams and the rights of German shipping on streams or parts of them under foreign control. These negotiations, however, are not yet under way, according to information obtained here from interested sources.
Respectfully yours,
- Foreign Relations, 1921, vol. ii, p. 29.↩
- i. e., denunciation of part XII of the Treaty of Versailles. See telegram No. 335, November 16, 6 p.m., from the Ambassador in Germany, p. 372.↩