The Geneva Protocol, by David Hunter Miller

CHAPTER XX. 132
Various items regarding the Protocol of Geneva were on the Agenda of the Council for its December, 1924,
meeting at Rome. Preparatory work regarding "the general program" under the second paragraph of Article 17
of the Protocol was the most important. Two other relevant items were (1) the reorganization of the
Temporary Mixed Commission and the Permanent Advisory Commission into a single co-ordinated
Commission; and (2) the date of the meeting of the Commission of Jurists (appointed at the Brussels session
of the Council in October, 1924) to draft the amendments to the Covenant contemplated by the Protocol.
A Conservative Government came into power in Great Britain early in November, 1924, Mr. Austen
Chamberlain becoming Foreign Secretary. At the request of the British Government, the agenda items for the
December, 1924 meeting of the Council at Rome relating to the Protocol of Geneva were postponed until the
March meeting. In the meantime, the British Government has suggested to the Dominions a meeting of the
Imperial Conference for the purpose of adopting a policy of the British Commonwealth of Nations regarding
the Protocol of Geneva. Whether such a meeting will be held, or whether the general British policy will be
decided on as a result of correspondence, is not at this writing certain.
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ANNEX E.
REPORT OF THE BRITISH DELEGATES RELATING TO THE PROTOCOL FOR THE PEACEFUL
SETTLEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL DISPUTES.
London, November 1, 1924.
Sir,
We have the honour to submit herewith a report on the proceedings at the Fifth Assembly of the League of
Nations at Geneva this year in connection with the Draft Protocol for the Pacific Settlement of International
Disputes.
I.--INTRODUCTION.
The First Assembly of the League of Nations in 1920 prepared to give effect to article 8 of the Covenant, the
first two paragraphs of which read: "The Members of the League recognise that the maintenance of peace
requires the reduction of national armaments to the lowest point consistent with national safety and the
enforcement by common action of International obligations. The Council .......... shall formulate plans for such
reduction for the consideration and action of the several Governments." That Assembly decided "to instruct a
Temporary Commission to prepare reports and proposals for the reduction of armaments as provided for by
article 8 of the Covenant." In the following year the Second Assembly defined the task more clearly in a
resolution instructing the Temporary Mixed Commission to make proposals for the reduction of armaments
which, in order to secure precision, "should be in the form of a draft Treaty or other equally defined plan, to
be presented to the Council, if possible, before the Assembly next year" (1922). In the course of the ensuing
year the Temporary Mixed Commission was able to formulate certain principles which, in its opinion, might
serve as a basis for the draft Treaty which it had been instructed to draw up. After discussion of these
principles the Third Assembly passed a resolution--the famous {218} Resolution 14--recognising that in
existing circumstances many Governments would be unable to accept responsibility for a serious reduction of
armaments unless they received in exchange a satisfactory guarantee of the safety of their country, and
suggesting that such guarantee could be found in a defensive agreement binding them to provide immediate
and effective assistance, in accordance with a pre-arranged plan, in the event of one of them being attacked.
The Temporary Mixed Commission were instructed to prepare a draft Treaty on these lines. The result of their
labours was submitted to the Fourth Assembly last year in the form of the Draft Treaty of Mutual Assistance,
which was referred by the Assembly to the Governments for their observations.