be at liberty to withhold the services of their W/T stations from German stations. (4) Germany shall have only one vote at the next International Radio-Telegraph Conference, irrespective of the number of independent or semi-independent states into which Germany may be divided. Clause 6. Submarine Cables. The German cables enumerated below shall not be returned to Germany: Emden-Vigo Emden-Teneriffe Emden-Azores (two cables) Monrovia-Pernambuco Monrovia-Lome Lome-Duala Constantinople-Constanza Chifu-Tsingtau-Shanghai Yap-Guam Yap-Menado (Celebes) NOTE.-Admiral Benson disagrees. APPENDIX TO PART II.-REPARATION FOR ALLIED SHIPPING LOSSES Reparation for Allied shipping losses shall be made by Germany to the extent and in the method to be laid down in the permanent Treaty of Peace. Part of such reparation shall consist in the handing-over by Germany to the Allies and the United States of America of all merchant ships (with such exceptions as may be laid down in the Treaty of Peace), completed, launched, or under construction, which were on 11 November, 1918, the property of the German Government or German owners or entitled to fly the German merchant flag. For the removal of doubt as to the interpretation which shall be placed upon certain points which might be deemed open to question, and without prejudice to the further elucidations which may be inserted in the Treaty of Peace, it is hereby declared that:(a) Reparation for Shipping Losses. The reparation required from Germany for shipping losses shall be based upon the total number of ships destroyed or lost, constructively or actually, through the hostile action of Germany, irrespective of the means employed for their destruction. For the purpose of this paragraph the terms "ships" and "shipping" shall be deemed to include fishing vessels. (b) Merchant Vessels captured by Germany. All allied or neutral merchant vessels which have been condemned by the German Prize Court and which were German property at the date of the Armistice shall be regarded as being German vessels for the purpose of being included in the number of German merchant vessels which may be required to be surrendered under the heading of Reparation. (c) Salvage of Allied Ships and Cargoes. Notwithstanding that reparation may have been paid for sunken Allied ships and cargoes, the property in such ships and cargoes, if salved outside German territorial waters, shall remain at the disposal of the Allies. PART III Clause 1. Commissions for the Execution of Naval Terms. All the measures prescribed by the Naval Clauses of this Convention shall be carried out under the control of a special Naval Commission appointed for the purpose by the Allies and the United States of America. This Commission will act under the supreme direction of the Admiralties of the Allies and the United States. It will be established at the seat of the Central German Government and may appoint Sub-Commissions or Delegates as may be found necessary to visit any part of German territory. The German Government shall facilitate, by all possible means, the exercise of this control, and shall furnish the fullest information demanded of it on all questions in connection with the same, including designs of warships, details and samples of naval war material, guns, ammunition, torpedoes, mines and other explosives, and W/T apparatus. NOTE. Admiral Benson disagrees as to requiring Germany to furnish designs, samples, &c., of war materiel, and makes reservations regarding the participation by Naval representatives of the United States of America in any Commissions appointed to deal with the execution of Clauses 1, 2, 8, 10 and 11 of Part I and Clauses 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Part II. Clause 2. Conventions. Nothing in the present Convention shall invalidate anything done or required to be done under the Armistice Convention of 11 November, 1918, or subsequent Conventions for its renewal. Germany undertakes to respect all the clauses of the present Convention and is responsible for their execution towards all the Powers who sign this Convention with her. 314579-43-VOL. IV-17 Paris Peace Conf. 180.03101/53 BC-46 SWC-13 Minutes of the 2nd Meeting of the 17th Session, Supreme War Council, Held in M. Pichon's Room at the Quai d'Orsay, Paris, on Friday, 7th March, 1919, at 3 p. m. PRESENT AMERICA, UNITED STATES OF Hon. R. Lansing Hon. E. M. House Secretaries Mr. A. H. Frazier Mr. L. Harrison Mr. G. Auchincloss BRITISH EMPIRE The Rt. Hon. D. Lloyd George, M. P. O. M., M. P. Secretaries Lt. Col. Sir M. P. A. Hankey, Hon. T. A. Spring-Rice FRANCE M. Clemenceau M. Pichon ALSO PRESENT AMERICA, UNITED STATES OF Admiral W. S. Benson General Tasker H. Bliss Major General M. N. Patrick *Mr. Hoover *Mr. Davis *Capt. F. H. Schofield BRITISH EMPIRE *The Rt. Hon. Lord Robert Cecil, K. C., General Sir H. H. Wilson, K. C. B., Admiral Sir R. E. Wemyss, G. C. B., *Rear Admiral G. P. W. Hope, C. B. *Paymr. Capt. C. F. Pollard, C. B., R. N. Report of Belgian Commission on the Treaties of 1839 Captain E. Abraham Captain A. Portier Lieut. Zanchi Interpreter: Prof. P. J. Mantoux. 1. M. CLEMENCEAU said that the Report of the Belgian Commission had been received. (It was decided that it should be circulated). 2. The Council had before them copies of a telegram, for the text of which see Annexure "A". Interruption of the Negotiations at Spa LORD ROBERT CECIL said that Admiral Hope had returned from Spa and reported that the negotiations with the Germans concerning the surrender of their mercantile fleet had failed altogether. There had been in the morning a meeting of the Supreme Economic Council at which it had been decided that Germany was clearly bound by the Armistice to yield the ships, that it was of the greatest importance for the Allies to obtain possession of them, and also, in the general interest, that Germany should be supplied with food. Proposals had been made by the American Delegates and by himself and tentative conclusions reached. The French and Italian Delegates, however, had wished to see the conclusions in writing and to have some time for reflection before accepting them. He therefore suggested that a day's delay be granted for the Supreme Economic Council to consider its resolutions which could be furnished on the following day. M. CLEMENCEAU asked Lord Robert Cecil if he could give an outline of the resolutions proposed. LORD ROBERT CECIL said that two clauses had been agreed to by all the Delegates. The meeting had only broken up at 2.15 p. m. that day and final texts could not be given. The first clause adopted was to the effect that in accordance with the Armistice Germany must deliver the ships. The second clause provided that 270,000 tons of food should be supplied to Germany as soon as the German Government had given evidence of an intention of complying with the Armistice. The third clause concerning which there was not yet full agreement dealt with the future revictualling of Germany. De tailed proposals had been put forward by the American Delegates and agreed to by himself on behalf of the British Government. For reasons previously given he proposed that the final draft should be produced on the following day. M. CLEMENTEL explained that this clause involved principles concerning which the French and Italian Delegates felt they must consult their Governments. (It was decided to postpone the discussion to the following day.) 3. MR. LANSING put forward the following draft:— It was agreed that, Mr. Lansing's Enemy Owned Submarine Cables In consideration of clause 6 of Part II of the Naval conditions for peace with Germany, the following questions should be submitted to a Committee composed of five Members, one to be named by each of the five Powers: Is it (legally) right under the rules or principles of international law to treat as capture or prize submarine telegraph cables of an enemy cut or taken possession of by naval operations? Is it (legally) right under the rules or principles of international law for a Government whose naval forces have cut or taken possession of a submarine telegraph cable of an enemy, to retain such cable by way of reparation? In the event that the cut or captured cable of an enemy is landed on the territory of another nation, what right and authority does such nation possess under contracts or permits granted to the enemy to cancel the same or to control the use of the cable? MR. BALFOUR said that he would only question, in this draft, the use of the word "legally"; as no international law existed concerning the point in question he asked whether it would not be better to suppress this word. MR. LANSING agreed to the suppression of the word "legally" at the beginning of the second and 3rd paragraphs of the draft. BARON MAKINO said he wished to ask a question. Should the Commission decide that it was not legitimate to take possession of the cables, would the consequence be their return to Germany? M. CLEMENCEAU said the power of deciding on this remained with the Council. BARON SONNINO said that the text proposed specifically related only to cables cut during the war or taken possession of by naval operations. He understood that there were enemy owned cables which did not come under either of these categories. MR. LANSING said that the question did not arise, as unless they had been taken from the enemy they could not be returned. BARON SONNINO said that from the previous day's discussion he understood that there were some enemy-owned cables neither cut nor |