Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-02-02
Official Texts of Treaties
On Poison Gas and Submarines

sengers have been first placed in
safety.
(2 Belligerent submarines are
not under any circumstances ex-
empt from the universal rules
above stated: and II a submarine
cannot capture q merchant vessel
in conformity with these rules the
existing law Of nations requires 1t
to desist from attack and from
seizure and to permit the mer-
chant vessel to proceed unmo-
Tested.
. The signatory powers invite all
other civilized powers to express
their assent to the foregoing
statement of established law SO
understanding throughout the
world of the standards of conduct
by which the public opinion of the
world Is to pass judgment upon
future belligerents.
The signatory powers, desiring
to insure the enforcement of the
humane rules of existing law de-
clared by them with respect to at
lacks upon and the seizure and
destruction of merchant ships,
further declare that any person
shall violate any of those rules,
whether or not such person Is I'M
der orders Of a governmental SUI
perior, shall be deemed to have
violated the laws of war and shall
be liable to trial and punishment
as If for an act Of piracy and may
be brought to trial before. the
civil or military authorities Of any
power within the jurisdiction of
which he may be found.
".
The signatory powers recognize
the practical impossibility of using
submarines as commerce destroy
ers without violating, as they
were violated in the recent war Of
1914-1918, the requirements uni
versa1ly accepted by civilized ma
tions for the protection of the
batants. and to the end that the
prohibition Of the use of sub
marines as commerce destroyers
shall be universally accepted as
part of the law of nations they
now accept that prohibition as
henceforth binding as between
themselves and they invite all
other nations to adhere thereto.
The use Of in war of asphyxiat-
ing, poisonous or other gases, and
all analogous liquids, materials or
devices, having been justly con-
demned by the general opinion Of
the civilized world and a prohibit
ton of such use having been de-
clared in treaties to which a ma
jority of the civilized powers are
parties,
The signatory powers. to the
end that this prohibition shall be
universally accepted as a part Of
International law binding alike
the conscience and practice Of ma
tons. declare their assent to such
prohibition. agree to be bound
thereby as between themselves
and invite all other civilized ma
tons to adhere thereto.
The present treaty shall be rati-
fed as soon as possible in accord
methods OF the signatory powers
and shall take effect on the de-
post Of all the notifications.
which shall take place at Wash
ington.
Inc government OF. tne Cnlle0
States of America will transmit to
all the signatory powers a certified
copy Of the proces-verbal of the
deposit OF notifications.
The present treaty, In French
and In English, shall remain de-
posted in the archives of the gov
eminent OF the United States of
America, and duly certified copies
thereof will be transmitted by
that government to each of the
signatory powers.
VII.
The government Of the United
States of America will further
transmit to each of the non-sig-
natory powers a duly certified
copy Of the present treaty and
invite it's adherence thereto.
Any non-signatory power may
adhere to the present treaty by
communicating an instrument Of
adherence to the government OF
the United States Of America,
which will thereupon transmit to
each Of the signatory and adher-
ing powers a certified copy OF
each instrument Of adherence.
In faith whereof the above
named plenipotentiaries have
signed the present treaty.
Done at the city Of Washington,
the - day Of January, ono thou
sand nine hundred and twenty
two.