Treaty Series No. 665

The German Chancellor (Wirth) to the American Ambassador (Houghton)

[Translation]
Foreign Office
No. III A 2451

Mr. Ambassador, In reply to your kind note of June 23, 1922, I have the honor to state to your Excellency as follows:

[Page 265]

The German Government is in agreement with the draft of an agreement communicated to it in the note mentioned, now that some changes in the text have been agreed upon with your Excellency. I have the honor to transmit herewith the draft modified accordingly.

From the numerous conferences which have taken place with your Excellency, the German Government believes itself justified in assuming that it is not the intention of the American Government to insist in the proceedings of the Commission upon all the claims contemplated in the Versailles Treaty without exception, that it in particular does not intend to raise claims such as those included in Paragraphs 5 to 7 of Annex 1 of Article 244 of the Versailles Treaty (claims for reimbursement of military pensions paid by the American Government, and of allowances paid to American prisoners of war or their families and to the families of persons mobilised) or indeed claims going beyond the Treaty of August 25, 1921.

The German Government would be grateful if your Excellency would confirm the correctness of this assumption.

In the view of the German Government it would furthermore be in the interest of both Governments concerned that the work of the Commission be carried out as quickly as possible. In order to insure this it might be expedient to fix a period for the reporting of the claims to be considered by the Commission. The German Government, therefore, proposes that the Commission should consider only such claims as are brought before it within at least six months after its first meeting as provided in Article III of the above-named agreement.

I should be obliged to your Excellency for a statement as to whether the American Government is in agreement herewith.

At the same time I take [etc.]

Wirth