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1 The Lansing-Ishii Agreement: Message from the President of the United States 1 (1922)

handle is hein.hoil/lsgisiam0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 67TH CONGRESS, j SENATE. DOCUMENT 2d Session. 5 No. 150. THE LANSING-ISHII AGREEMENT. MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, TRANSMITTING IN RESPONSE TO A SENATE RESQLUTION OF FEBRUARY 23 (CALEN- DAR DAY, MARCH 6), 1922, INFORMATION AS TO TH: PRESENT STATUS AND BINDING EFFECT OF THE SO-CALLED LANSING- ISHII AGREEMENT, SIGNED NOVEMBER 2, 1917. MARCH 7 (calendar day, MARCH 8), 1922.-Read; ordered to lie on the table and to be printed. To the SENATE: I have received the resolution (S. Res. 251) requesting me, if not incompatible with the public interest- to advise the Senate as to the present status and binding effect of what is known as the Lansing-Ishii agreement between the United States and the Empire of Japan. Secondly, as to whether or not the four-power pact, now before the Senate for con- sideration, if ratified, will abrogate, nullify, or in any way modify such agreement; and as to what will be the status of said agreement after the ratification of said four- power pact. The so-called Lansing-Ishii agreement, signed November 2, 1917, was not a treaty, but was an exchange of notes between the Secre- tary of State of the United States and Viscount Ishii, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Japan on special mission. It was described in the notes themselves as a public announcement of the desires and intentions shared by the two Governments with re- gard to China. This exchange of notes, in the nature of things, did not constitute anything more than a declaration of Executive policy. It is hardly necessary to point out that such a declaration, or ex- change of notes, could not have any effect whatever inconsistent with treaty obligations whether existing or thereafter coming into force..