VIII Special international agreements have changed the status of areas in such fashion as to be significant, and types of these have also been inserted, such as those relating to mandated and neutralized areas. International agreements relating to many other matters not commonly covered in early treaties have been made since the World War, as well as new agreements upon matters previously covered. The agreements have been so numerous and some of them so detailed in character that it is not possible to give them within available space. LIMITATION OF ARMAMENT TREATY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES, THE BRITISH EMPIRE, FRANCE, ITALY, AND JAPAN1-LIMITATION OF NAVAL ARMAMENT 2 [Signed at Washington, February 6, 1922; ratification advised by the Senate, March 29, 1922; ratified by the President, June 9, 1923; ratifications deposited with the Government of the United States, August 17, 1923; proclaimed, August 21, 1923] BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION Whereas a Treaty between the United States of America, the British Empire, France, Italy and Japan, agreeing to a limitation of naval armament, was concluded and signed by their respective plenipotentiaries at Washington on February 6, 1922, the original of which Treaty, in the English and French languages, is word for word as follows: The United States of America, the British Empire, France, Italy and Japan; Desiring to contribute to the maintenance of the general peace, and to reduce the burdens of competition in armament; Have resolved, with a view to accomplishing these purposes, to conclude a treaty to limit their respective naval armament, and to that end have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries; The President of the United States of America: Charles Evans Hughes, Henry Cabot Lodge, Oscar W. Underwood, Elihu Root, citizens of the United States; 1 Treaty Series, No. 671. 2 Discussions on the negotiation of this treaty will be found in the Naval War College International Law Documents, 1921, and in the official report, English and French, as well as the French text of the treaty, "Conference on the Limitation of Armament, November 12, 1921-February 6, 1922," published by the Government Printing Office. The report of the American delegation to the President will be found in the Naval War College Documents at page 237. This treaty was not ratified at the time of the publication of the Naval War College International Law Documents, 1921, but is now in force and ratified as here printed. 57920-26-2 1 His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India: and The Right Honourable Arthur James Balfour, O. M., M. P., The Right Honourable Baron Lee of Fareham, G. B. E., The Right Honourable Sir Auckland Campbell Geddes, K. C. for the Dominion of Canada: The Right Honourable Sir Robert Laird Borden, G. C. M. G., for the Commonwealth of Australia: Senator the Right Honourable George Foster Pearce, Minister for Home and Territories; for the Dominion of New Zealand: The Honourable Sir John William Salmond, K. C., Judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand; for the Union of South Africa: The Right Honourable Arthur James Balfour, O. M., M. P.; for India: The Right Honourable Valingham Sankaranarayana Srinivasa Sastri, Member of the Indian Council of State; The President of the French Republic: Mr. Albert Sarraut, Deputy, Minister of the Colonies; His Majesty the King of Italy: The Honourable Carlo Schanzer, Senator of the Kingdom; The Honourable Vittorio Rolandi Ricci, Senator of the Kingdom, His Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Washington; The Honourable Luigi Albertini, Senator of the Kingdom; His Majesty the Emperor of Japan: Baron Tomosaburo Kato, Minister for the Navy, Junii, a member of the First Class of the Imperial Order of the Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun with the Paulownia Flower; Baron Kijuro Shidehara, His Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Washington, Joshii, a member of the First Class of the Imperial Order of the Rising Sun; GENERAL PROVISIONS 3 Mr. Masanao Hanihara, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Who, having communicated to each other their respective full powers, found to be in good and due form, have agreed as follows: CHAPTER I. GENERAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO THE LIMITATION OF NAVAL ARMAMENT ARTICLE I The Contracting Powers agree to limit their respective naval armament as provided in the present Treaty. ARTICLE II The Contracting Powers may retain respectively the capital ships which are specified in Chapter II, Part 1. On the coming into force of the present Treaty, but subject to the following provisions of this Article, all other capital ships, built or building, of the United States, the British Empire and Japan shall be disposed of as prescribed in Chapter II, Part 2. In addition to the capital ships specified in Chapter II, Part 1, the United States may complete and retain two ships of the West Virginia class now under construction. On the completion of these two ships the North Dakota and Delaware shall be disposed of as prescribed in Chapter II, Part 2. The British Empire may, in accordance with the replacement table in Chapter II, Part 3, construct two new capital ships not exceeding 35,000 tons (35,560 metric tons) standard displacement each. On the completion of the said two ships the Thunderer, King George V, Ajax and Centurion shall be disposed of as prescribed in Chapter II, Part 2. ARTICLE III Subject to the provisions of Article II, the Contracting Powers shall abandon their respective capital ship building programs, and no new capital ships shall be constructed or acquired by any of the Contracting Powers except replacement tonnage which may be constructed or acquired as specified in Chapter II, Part 3. Ships which are replaced in accordance with Chapter II, Part 3, shall be disposed of as prescribed in Part 2 of that Chapter. ARTICLE IV The total capital ship replacement tonnage of each of the Contracting Powers shall not exceed in standard displacement, for the United States 525,000 tons (533,400 metric tons); for the British Empire 525,000 tons (533,400 metric tons); for France 175,000 tons (177,800 metric tons); for Italy 175,000 tons (177,800 metric tons); for Japan 315,000 tons (320,040 metric tons). ARTICLE V No capital ship exceeding 35,000 tons (35,560 metric tons) standard displacement shall be acquired by, or constructed by, for, or, within the jurisdiction of, any of the Contracting Powers. ARTICLE VI No capital ship of any of the Contracting Powers shall carry a gun with a calibre in excess of 16 inches (406 millimetres). ARTICLE VII The total tonnage for aircraft carriers of each of the Contracting Powers shall not exceed in standard displacement, for the United States 135,000 tons (137,160 metric tons); for the British Empire 135,000 tons (137,160 metric tons); for France 60,000 tons (60,960 metric tons); for Italy 60,000 tons (60,960 metric tons); for Japan 81,000 tons (82,296 metric tons). ARTICLE VIII The replacement of aircraft carriers shall be effected only as prescribed in Chapter II, Part 3, provided, however, that all aircraft carrier tonnage in existence or building on November 12, 1921, shall be considered experimental, and may be replaced, within the total tonnage limit prescribed in Article VII, without regard to its age. ARTICLE IX No aircraft carrier exceeding 27,000 tons (27,432 metric tons) standard displacement shall be acquired by, or constructed by, for or within the jurisdiction of, any of the Contracting Powers. However, any of the Contracting Powers may, provided that its total tonnage allowance of aircraft carriers is not thereby exceeded, build not more than two aircraft carriers, each of a tonnage of not more than 33,000 tons (33,528 metric tons) standard displacement, and in order to effect economy any of the Contracting Powers may use for this purpose any two of their ships, whether constructed or in course of construction, which would otherwise |