FOREWORD The North Atlantic Treaty is of such great importance to American foreign policy that documentary background information concerning it should be available to every Member of the Senate. For this purpose, the staff of the Foreign Relations Committee has compiled this collection of documents covering developments in foreign affairs which have a bearing on the treaty. The collection is by no means exhaustive. It is confined largely to the postwar period and is limited to those documents or parts of documents which are likely to be referred to most frequently by Members of the Senate during the course of our deliberations on the treaty. NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY PART 1. TEXT OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY 1. THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY, APRIL 4, 1949 [The North Atlantic Treaty, signed on April 4, 1949, resulted from conversations, which began in Washington in the summer of 1948, among the representatives of Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The text was released to the public on March 18, 1949, a little over 2 weeks before the actual signing in Washington, D. C. It was signed by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom, and the United States. The text is reproduced in full below.] PREAMBLE The Parties to this Treaty reaffirm their faith in the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and their desire to live in peace with all peoples and all governments. They are determined to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilization of their peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. They seek to promote stability and well-being in the North Atlantic area. They are resolved to unite their efforts for collective defense and for the preservation of peace and security. They therefore agree to this North Atlantic Treaty: ARTICLE 1 The Parties undertake, as set forth in the Charter of the United Nations, to settle any international disputes in which they may be involved by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered, and to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations. ARTICLE 2 The Parties will contribute toward the further development of peaceful and friendly international relations by strengthening their free institutions, by bringing about a better understanding of the principles upon which these institutions are founded, and by promoting conditions of stability and well-being. They will seek to eliminate conflict in their international economic policies and will encourage economic collaboration between any or all of them. 1 |