Il sera dressé du dépôt de chaque ratification un procèsverbal, dont une copie, certifiée conforme, sera remise par la voie diplomatique à toutes les Puissances contractantes. ARTICLE 13. Les Puissances non signataires, qui auront accepté la Convention de Genève du 22 août 1864, sont admises à adhérer à la présente Convention. Elles auront, à cet effet, à faire connaitre leur adhésion aux Puissances contractantes, au moyen d'une notification écrite, adressée au Gouvernement des Pays-Bas et communiquée par celui-ci à toutes les autres Puissances contractantes. ARTICLE 14. S'il arrivait qu'une des Hautes Parties contractantes dénonçât la présente Convention, cette dénonciation ne produirait ses effets qu'un an après la notification faite par écrit au Gouvernement des Pays-Bas et communiquée immédiatement par celui-ci à toutes les autres Puissances contractantes. Cette dénonciation ne produira ses effets qu'à l'égard de la Puissance qui l'aura notifiée. En foi de quoi, les Plénipotentiaires respectifs ont signé la présente Convention et l'ont revêtue de leurs cachets. Fait à la Haye, le vingt-neuf juillet mil huit cent quatre-vingt dix-neuf, en un seul exemplaire qui restera déposé dans les archives du Gouvernement des Pays-Bas et dont des copies, certifiées conformes, seront remises par la voie diplomatique aux Puissances contractantes. Certifié pour copie conforme, Le Secrétaire Général du Département des Affaires Etrangères. LH RUYSSENAERS. On the receipt of each ratification a procès-verbal shall be drawn up, a copy of which, duly certified, shall be sent through the diplomatic channel to all the Contracting Powers. ARTICLE 13. The non-Signatory Powers who accepted the Geneva Convention of the 22nd August, 1864, are allowed to adhere to the present Convention. For this purpose they must make their adherence known to the Contracting Powers by means of a written notification addressed to the Netherlands Government, and by it communicated to all the other Contracting Powers. ARTICLE 14. In the event of one of the High Contracting Parties denouncing the present Convention, such denunciation shall not take effect until a year after the notification made in writing to the Netherlands Government, and forthwith communicated by it to all the other Contracting Powers. This denunciation shall take effect only in regard to the notifying Power. In testimony whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Convention and affixed their seals thereto. Done at The Hague the 29th July, 1899, in single copy, which shall be kept in the archives of the Government of the Netherlands, and copies of which duly certified, shall be sent through the diplomatic channel to the Contracting Powers. Certified as a true copy, The Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs, L. H. RUYSSENAERS. THE HAGUE, January 31, 1900. And whereas on an understanding reached by the Government of the Netherlands with the signatory powers it was agreed to exclude from the ratifications of said Convention its Article 10; And whereas the said Convention, with its Article 10 excluded, was ratified by the Government of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate thereof, and by the Governments of the other Powers aforesaid, with the exception of those of China and Turkey; And whereas, in pursuance of the stipulations of Article 12 of the said Convention the ratifications of the said Convention were deposited at the Hague on the 4th. day of September, 1900, by the Plenipotentiaries of the Governments of the United States of America, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Persia, Portugal, Roumania, Russia, Siam, Sweden and Norway and Bulgaria; on the 6th. day of October, 1900, by the Plenipotentiary of the Government of Japan; on the 16th. day of October, 1900, by the Plenipotentiary of the Government of Montenegro; on the 29th. day of December, 1900, by the Plenipotentiary of the Government of Switzerland; on the 4th. day of April, 1901, by the Plenipotentiary of the Government of Greece; on the 17th. day of April, 1901, by the Plenipotentiary of the Government of Mexico; on the 11th. day of May, 1901, by the Plenipotentiary of the Government of Servia, and on the 12th. day of July, 1901, by the Plenipotentiary of the Government of Luxemburg: Now, therefore, be it known that I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, have caused the said Convention, with its Article 10 excluded, to be made public, to the end that the same and every clause thereof, may be observed and fulfilled with good faith by the United States and the citizens thereof, In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the City of Washington, this first day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and one, and [L. S.] of the Independence of the United States, the one hundred and twenty-sixth. By the President: JOHN HAY Secretary of State. THEODORE ROOSEVELT CONVENTION WITH RESPECT TO THE LAWS AND CUSTOMS OF WAR ON LAND. Signed at The Hague July 29, 1899. Ratification advised by the Senate March 14, 1902. Ratified or adhered to by the Argentine Republic, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Denmark, The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Persia, Portugal, Roumania, Russia, Salvador, Servia, Siam, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Uruguay, Venezuela. BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. A PROCLAMATION. Whereas a Convention with respect to the laws and customs of war on land was concluded and signed on July 29, 1899, by the Plenipotentiaries of the United States of America, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Mexico, France, Great Britain and Ireland, Greece, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Persia, Portugal, Roumania, Russia, Servia, Siam, Sweden and Norway, Turkey, and Bulgaria, the original of which Convention, in the French language, is word for word as follows: Considérant que, tout en recherchant les moyens de sauvegarder la paix et de prévenir les conflits armés entre les nations, il importe de se préoccuper également du cas où l'appel aux armes serait amené par des évènements que Leur sollicitude n'aurait pu détourner: Animés du désir de servir encore, dans cette hypothèse extrême, les intérêts de l'humanité Considering that, while seeking means to preserve peace and prevent armed conflicts between nations, it is likewise necessary to bear in mind the case where the appeal to arms has been brought about by events which their solicitude was unable to avert; Animated by the desire to serve, even in this extreme case, the interests of humanity and the et les exigences toujours progressives de la civilisation; Estimant qu'il importe, à cette fin, de réviser les lois et coutumes générales de la guerre, soit dans le but de les définir avec plus de précision, soit afin d'y tracer certaines limites destinées à en restreindre autant que possible les rigueurs; S'inspirant de ces vues recommandées aujourd'hui, comme il y a vingt-cinq ans, lors de la Conférence de Bruxelles de 1874, par une sage et généreuse prévoyance; Ont, dans cet esprit, adopté un grand nombre de dispositions qui ont pour objet de définir et de régler les usages de la guerre sur terre. Selon les vues des Hautes Parties Contractantes, ces dispositions, dont la rédaction a été inspirée par le désir de diminuer les maux de la guerre, autant que les nécessités militaires le permettent, sont destinées à servir de règle générale de conduite aux belligérants, dans leurs rapports entre eux et avec les populations. Il n'a pas été possible toutefois de concerter dès maintenant des stipulations s'étendant à toutes les circonstances qui se présentent dans la pratique. D'autre part, il ne pouvait entrer dans les intentions des Hautes Parties Contractantes que les cas non prévus fussent, faute de stipuulation écrite, laissées à l'appréciation arbitraire de ceux qui dirigent les armées. En attendant qu'un code plus complet des lois de la guerre puisse être édicté, les Hautes Parties Contractantes jugent opportun de constater que, dans les cas non compris dans les dispositions réglementaires adoptées par Elles, les populations et les belligérants restent sous la sauvegarde et sous l'empire des principes du droit des gens, tels qu'ils résultent 72267-11- -10 ever progressive needs of civilization; Thinking it important, with this object, to revise the general laws and customs of war, either with a view to defining them with greater precision or to confining them within such limits as would mitigate their severity as far as possible; Inspired by these views which are enjoined at the present day, as they were twenty-five years ago at the time of the Brussels Conference in 1874, by a wise and generous foresight; Have, in this spirit, adopted a great number of provisions, the object of which is to define and govern the usages of war on land. According to the views of the High Contracting Parties, these provisions, the wording of which has been inspired by the desire to diminish the evils of war so far as military necessities permit, are destined to serve as general rules of conduct for belligerents in their relations with each other and with the inhabitants. It has not, however, been possible at present to concert regulations covering all the circumstances which arise in practice. On the other hand, it could not be intended by the High Contracting Parties that unforeseen cases should, for want of a written regulation, be left to the arbitrary judgment of the military Commanders. Until a more complete code of the laws of war can be issued, the High Contracting Parties deem it expedient to declare that in cases not included in the Regulations adopted by them, the inhabitants and belligerents remain under the protection and the rule of the principles of the law of nations, as they result from the usages established between civilized nations, |