POLITICAL

BOUNDARY

1

BOLIVIAN-PARAGUAYAN CONTROVERSY 1

On November 24, 1934, the Assembly of the League of Nations adopted a report providing for the peaceful solution of the Chaco dispute. In accordance with the provisions of the report, this Government has received two invitations from the Secretary General of the League of Nations requesting the United States to participate in the deliberations of an Advisory Committee, whose seat shall be at Geneva, and likewise to appoint a representative to take part in the disputes of a so-called "Neutral Supervisory Commission" to deal with the military aspects involved in the cessation of hostilities between Bolivia and Paraguay, and to regulate the control of a temporary neutral zone between the military forces of the two countries, the width of which shall be fixed by the Commission. The texts of the invitations are quoted below:

"I have the honour to inform you that on November 24th, 1934, the Assembly of the League of Nations adopted a report concerning the dispute between Bolivia and Paraguay as provided for under Article 15, §4, of the Covenant of the League of Nations.

"I beg to enclose a copy of this report.2

"In accordance with Part VI of the report, an advisory committee has been appointed by the Assembly, with the duties and responsibilities set forth in that report.

"The Committee consists of representatives of the following States:

"The Advisory Committee met on November 24th, and in accord-" ance with the instructions of the Assembly, directed me to invite the Governments of the United States of America and the United States of Brazil to collaborate in its work in the manner which they shall consider the most appropriate.

'See Bulletins No. 23, August 1931, p. 7; No. 25, October 1931, p. 6; and No. 52, January 1934, p. 3.

'Not printed in this Bulletin.

"I have now the honour to convey to you this invitation.

"I need not say that the Advisory Committee attaches great im portance to the cooperation of your Government in its work and earnestly hopes that it will be able to accept this invitation."

"I have the honor to inform you that on November 24th, 1934, the Assembly of the League of Nations adopted a report concerning the dispute between Bolivia and Paraguay as provided for under Article 15, paragraph 4, of the Covenant of the League of Nations. "I beg to enclose a copy of this report.

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Paragraph 12 of part 4 of the report provides for the setting up of a Neutral Supervisory Commission. The Argentine, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay shall each appoint one member of the commission. The United States of America and the United States of Brazil shall also be invited to appoint one member each. The duties and powers of the Neutral Supervisory Commission are laid down in paragraph 12 of part 4.

"In accordance with the instructions of the Assembly, I have the honor to convey to you this invitation.

"I need not say that the Assembly attaches great importance to the cooperation of your Government in the Neutral Supervisory Commission and earnestly hopes that it will be able to accept this invitation."

On December 7, 1934, the American consul in Geneva replied to these invitations in the following terms:

"My Government has directed me to make the following reply to your letter of November 24, 1934, transmitting the invitation of the Advisory Committee appointed by the Assembly of the League of Nations in accordance with part 6 of the report adopted on that date by the Assembly concerning the dispute between Bolivia and Paraguay.

"My Government has given attentive consideration to the duties and responsibilities of the Advisory Committee as set out in the aforementioned report. The Advisory Committee, which has already met at Geneva, is composed of representatives of 23 States, including the States members of the Council of the League of Nations as well as other States. The Committee has been constituted to follow the situation, more especially as regards the execution of the Assembly's recommendations for the settlement of the dispute and to assist the members of the League to concert their action and their attitude among themselves and with non-member States, more particularly as regards the most effective application, the modification, or withdrawal of the prohibiting of the supply of arms', as well as to make any proposals it may think desirable. The Committee shall have power to make any communication, recommendation or proposal which it considers desirable to the members of the League, the Assembly, or the Council. It shall communicate its reports to the Governments of the States non-members of the League which are cooperat ing in its work, as well as to the members of the League. The Committee shall more particularly bear in mind the Assembly's desire

that the state of breach of obligations (of the Covenant of the League of Nations) to settle disputes by peaceful means shall promptly be brought to an end.'

"In view of these powers, duties, and responsibilities of the Advisory Committee as above briefly reviewed, my Government, inasmuch as it is not a member of the League of Nations, does not find it possible to collaborate in the work of this Committee. However, in accordance with the policy of my Government, which it has consistently followed, and repeatedly announced, of furthering in every possible and practical manner, the peaceful settlement of this dispute, my Government will be glad to instruct me to maintain informal contact with the members of the Advisory Committee for purposes of information, if this should be found agreeable by the Committee."

"I duly transmitted to my Government the courteous invitation of the Assembly of the League of Nations conveyed in your letter of November 24, 1934, to cooperate in the work of the Neutral Supervisory Commission set up under paragraph 12 of part 4 of the report adopted on that date by the Assembly concerning the dispute between Bolivia and Paraguay. In reply I am directed to express the appreciation of my Government for this invitation and to say that my Government, taking into consideration that the Neutral Supervisory Commission will be composed of representatives of American States meeting on American soil for the specific purpose of supervising and facilitating the execution of measures relating to the cessation of hostilities, which measures would have been previously agreed to by both parties to the dispute, will be happy to cooperate with the_Neutral Supervisory Commission by appointing a member of the Commission, who would, however, participate in the labors of the Commission without the power to vote or to commit the United States except under specific instructions from the Government of the United States.

"My Government desires me to add a reference to paragraph 13 of part 4 of the report, which provides for a conference of representatives of American States to meet at Buenos Aires within one month from the date of the cessation of hostilities for the purpose of conducting negotiations looking to the conclusion of a treaty of peace. My Government has noted that the report provides that the President of the Argentine Republic would be requested to fix the date of the conference and to invite, among other American States, to participate therein the States represented on the Washington Committee of Neutrals', of which the United States is one. I am directed to inform you that my Government upon receipt of an invitation from the President of the Argentine Republic to take part in such conference will be happy to accept."

HUMANITARIAN

EXTRADITION

SUPPLEMENTARY EXTRADITION TREATY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND ESTONIA

The American Chargé d'Affaires ad interim at Tallinn reported by a despatch dated November 24, 1934, that on November 16, 1934, the Estonian Government had ratified without reservation the supplementary extradition treaty between the United States and Estonia signed October 10, 1934.

HEALTH

INTERNATIONAL SANITARY CONVENTION FOR AIR NAVIGATION 3

The American Legation at The Hague informed the Secretary of State by a telegram dated December 29, 1934, that the international sanitary convention for air navigation signed at The Hague on April 12, 1933, has been ratified by the following countries: Egypt, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Lebanon, Monaco, the Netherlands, and Syria. Bolivia, Brazil, Iraq, and the Sudan have executed instruments of adherence for deposit with the Netherland Government, which is the depositary of the convention.

According to the provisions of article 63 of the convention it will enter into force on the 120th day after the date of a procès-verbal which will be drawn up by the Government of the Netherlands as soon as the instruments of ratification by 10 of the signatory governments have been received and deposited.

The convention may be adhered to by countries which have not signed it any time after the date of the procès-verbal recording the deposit of the first 10 ratifications. An adherence will become effective on the 120th day from the date on which the Netherland Government informs the governments participating in the convention of the date of the deposit of the instrument of adherence.

See Bulletin No. 58, July 1934, p. 8.

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Chile

NATIONALITY

CONVENTION ON THE NATIONALITY OF WOMEN 1

According to a despatch from the American Legation at Santiago dated December 4, 1934, the Diario Oficial, no. 17017, of November 12, 1934, published the proclamation by the President of Chile of the convention on the nationality of women, signed at Montevideo on December 26, 1933. The proclamation is dated October 31, 1934. The convention has been printed as Treaty Series, No. 875.

OPIUM AND OTHER DANGEROUS DRUGS

CONVENTION FOR LIMITING THE MANUFACTURE AND REGULATING THE DISTRIBUTION OF NARCOTIC DRUGS 5

Brazil-Persia-Sweden

By circular letters dated November 20 and December 10, 1934, the Secretary General of the League of Nations informed the Secretary of State that he had been notified by the Governments of Brazil, Persia, and Sweden that they have no objection to the reservation which the Government of Japan wishes to make in regard to the ratification of the convention for limiting the manufacture and regulating the distribution of narcotic drugs, signed at Geneva July 13, 1931.

The reply of the Swedish Government is quoted below from the official translation of the League of Nations:

"The Royal Government has no objection to the reservation in question. It desires to add, however, that it has duly noted the statements made by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom and by the French Government in their replies to the abovementioned circular letter (see C. L. 140.1934 and C. L. 154.1934, dated August 23rd and September 21st, 1934 respectively), and associates itself with the views expressed in those statements."

INTERNATIONAL OPIUM CONVENTION 5

Costa Rica

The American Legation at San José transmitted to the Department with a despatch dated December 14, 1934, a copy of La Gaceta,