REFORMING THE LEAGUE

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21809, 15 June 1936, Page 11

REFORMING THE LEAGUE

A GENEVA PLAN CONTROVERSIAL POINTS AVOIDED “SECOND COVENANT” PROPOSAL (united tress association—cotibight.) (Received June 14, 9.2 p.m.) GENEVA, June 13. Senor de Madariaga, chairman of the League Committee of Thirteen, has prepared a meniorandum containing a plan for the reform of the league, including two novel features. The first provides that members of the league might make a reservation not to apply article 16 of the covenant until the league is universal and disarmament has been, achieved. The second is that a “second covenant,” without articles 10 and 16 and other controversial points, might be devised for countries like the United States, which are unwilling to assume full league obligations

Article Teu of the Covenant of the League of Nations, which deals with guarantees against aggression, states: “The members of the league undertake to respect and preserve as against external aggression the territorial integrity and existing political independence of all members of the league. In case of any such aggression or in case of any threat or danger of such aggression the council shall advise upon the means by which this obligation shall be fulfilled.” • Sanctions are the subject of Article 16, the first paragraph of which states; “Should any member of the league resort to war in disregard of its covenants under Articles 12, 13, or 15, [which refer to the submission of disputes to arbitration or enquiry], it shall ipso facto bo deemed to have committed an act of war against all other members of the league, which hereby undertake immediately to subject it to the severance of all trade or financial relations, the prohibition of all intercourse between their nitionals and the nationals of the covenant-break-ing State, and the prevention of all financial, commercial, or personal intercourse between the nationals of the covenant-breaking State and the nationals of any other State, whether a member of the league or not.”