Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-09-22
INVOKING KELLOGG PACT
treasures AMERICAS
Nations to South Heartened by Support
of Anti-War Treaty and Death
Sentence on Dollar Diplomacy.

1t was in this spirit, and as a nat
ural corollary Of the Kellogg BRAND
pact, that the so-called Stimson doc
trine of non-recognition Of territorial
gains by force was formulated and
applied both to the Far Eastern dis
pute and to the undeclared war in the
Chaco. On August 8, 1882, the gov
ernmentS of all the American re-
publics, through diplomatic represent
atives in Washington, adopted that
doctrine and, more recently, 1t was
made one of the principal bases for
the termination Of the Bolivian-Para-
guayan armed conflict.
The typical case of invocation and
application of the Kellogg BRAND
treaty, and the one which may be
held as a precedent for any territorial
conquest in the future, also took place
in Latin America. when Secretary
Stimson, on January rs, 1888. asked
the government of Peru "to abide by
the. commitments undertaken by it in
the pact of Paris" in connection with
the Leticia dispute between that coun-
try and Colombia.
On the night of August 81, 1882.
the town of Leticia. which by thc
Salomon-Lozano treaty was ceded TO
Colombia, had beer. attacked and
seized by an armed group Of Peruvian
citizens. After direct representations
had failed TO secure the return Of
Leticia to Colombian sovereignty, and
when a war was about to break openly
between the two countries, the Colon
bian government formally had invoked
the Kellogg BRAND pact and placed
the facts of the controversy before
the United States, one OF the sigma
tories and main sponsors of that
treaty.
StimSOn Cites Terms.
After reviewing those facts and
stressing that Peru should have sought
other than violent means to express
its dissatisfaction with the terms OF
the Salomon-Lozano boundary line
Secretary Stims0n reminded the Peru
Wan government Of its obligations
under Article II of the Briand-Kel-
logg pact, by which the high contract
ing parties agreed that the settlement
or solution of all disputes, of what
ever nature or origin they may be
which may arise among them. shall
never be sought except by pacific
means" Furthermore, the Secretary
of State, in his note to the Peruvian
minister of foreign affairs. asserted
that the declared intention of the
Peruvian government to support the
action of the citizens holding Leticia
would constitute "a recourse TO war
for the settlement of an international
controversy and the employment OF
war as an instrument of national
policy in its relations with another
signatory power and be contrary t.
Article of the Kellogg BRAND pact"
and concluded If so, as set forth in
the preamble of that pact, such vio-
lation Of it would entail a denial of
the benefits furnished by that pact to
the signatory power which violated It,"
Diplomats and students Of foreign
affairs agree today that this carefully
W0rded, and yet plain, invocation OF
the anti-war treaty, or pact of Paris,
played an important role in averting
a major war over Leticia. Latin Ameri-
cans in general were enthusiastic in
their approval of the position frankly
taken by the United States, not only
because it contributed greatly to avoid
war in that particular emergency, but,
mainly, because of what it meant TO
them as a guarantee in the future of
the existing peace machinery by the
most powerful nation in the American
continent
1t is not surprising. therefore, that
they should be pleased to know today
that the Government of the United
States has not altered that position
and is still committed to the doctrine
that the pledge involved in the KEEL
logg- BRAND pact carries with it the
duty of performance.
(Copyright 1881