SOCIETE DES NATIONS. LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Classement.

POLITICAL.

R E G IS T R Y .

C la s s e m e n tNo.

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MINUTE SHEET-

My v tew i s t h a t i f a Delegate who has once

been fo rm a l ly introduced to the S e c re ta r y-Gen-t t ia t

e r a l by h i s Government r e q u e s t s / a paper be f o r ­

warded to the Council, we a re bound to do so,

u n le s s i t c le a r ly appears t h a t he i s going be­

yond h i s genera l powers. In the p re se n t c a se ,

M. Zaunius e x p re s s ly mentioned t h a t he had no

i n s t r u c t i o n s , and i t wuuld seem reasonable then

to ask whether he d e f i n i t e l y r e q u e s t s us to send

the paper round . I f he r e p l i e s yea, he does i t

on h i s own r e s p o n s i b i l i t y , bu t o f course ^always

on beha lf o f h is Government.

In accordance w ith th i s v i e w , I wDuld sug ­

g e s t t h a t the l e t t e r be aménded as in d ic a te d On

one of the carbon cop ies .

I n v i e w o f t h e v a r i o u s p o i n t s r a i s e d , I would o n l y s l i g h t l y m o d i fy t h e t e x t w h ich h a s "been p r e p a r e d f o r th e S e c r e t a r y G e n e r a l ' s s i g n a t u r e . P l e a s e s e e my p e n c i l l e d m o d i f i c a t i o n s on t h e s e c o n d c a r b o n c o p y . The p a r t w h ich I hav e p u t i n t o b r a c k e t s s h o u l d r e m a i n i n t h e l e t t e r b u t i n b r a c k e t s .

I t h i n k t h a t by' t h e s e s m a l l a l t e r a t i o n s , I.!r. C o l b a n ’ s p o i n t i s a l s o m e t .

f t h O c t o b e r 1925 .v a n Hamel,

D i r e c t o r o f t h e l e g a l S e c t i o n

 T T / b ï f r 'fX (°VEE' * II. lo lS

PO CI.

Commun ! cuo aux henÆrf s

du C o n s e i l ,

i /-i { ' < • r \ , ■ . £. i / v : 'i |i O n r r . / iI — „ r * ]f >

DES M U OH,?. I Rtr; : ----------I * i--CEiVe o n .~l

iL ^ - o c i- w J j O u /fa

Cr^TT™L925c VII

G e n è v e , l e 23 o c t o b r e 1?

COU YEN 21 OH üKLATITIj a u EB12UT

du Ü5PJÎIÎCIR2 1X3 îîïïl IEL.

N o te du S e c r é t a i r e G é n é r a l .

Le m é m o ire , c i —j o i n t , a v e c u n e a n n e x e

e s t communiqué au C o n s e i l à l a demande du d é l é g u é

p e r m a n e n t d e l a L i t h u a n i e a u p r è s de l a S o c i é t é d e s

H â t i o n s ,

D é l é g a t i o n d e L i t h u a n i e& l a

S o c i é t é d e s H â t i o n s *

l l / 4 d 9 i S / l 5 ° 7 1

M .3 11 0 I R 25

G enève , l e 5 o c t o b r e 1 9 2 b ,

l e "Memeler L c r n p f b o o t j o u r n a l a l l e m a n d d e Morne l ,

v i e n t de p u b l i e r d a n s son numéro du 29 s e p t e m b r e 1 9 2 5 à l a

p r e m i è r e page e t on g r a n d e s l e t t r e s . , u n e n o u v e l l e i n t i t u l é e :

’’L e s i n é m é lo i s o n t r e ç u l e d r o i t dé so p l a i n d r e d e v a n t l a

S o c i é t é d e s H â t i o n s ” , n o u v e l l e d a n s l a q u e l l e i l a f f i r m e que l e

C o n s e i l de l a Socié té" d o s H â t i o n s d a n s s a s é a n c e du 2S s e p t e m b r e s

a o c t r o y é a u x h a b i t a n t s moms l o i s l e t ' r c i t de s e p l a i n d r e d e v a n t

l e G o n s o i l de l a S o c i é t é d o s H â t i o n s c o n t r e l a G-ouvernement

L i t h u a n i e n , e t p a r s u i t e , i n v i t e l e s m e n é l o i s à a d r e s s e r l e u r s

p l a i n t e s au S e c r é t a i r e G é n é r a l de l a S o c i é t é d e s H â t i o n s »

Le C o n s e i l d e l a S o c i é t é d e s H â t i o n s , d a n s s a s é a n c e

du 2ti s e p t e m b r e 19 2 5 , a y a n t a d o p t e l a r é s o l u t i o n do c h a r g e r l e

S e c r é t a i r e G é n é r a l de t r a n s m e t t r e a u x Membres du C o n s e i l l e s

p l a i n t e s a l l é g u a n t d e s i n f r a c t i o n s h l a C o n v e n t i o n d e Memel;

r é s o l u t i o n c o n t r e l a q u e l l e l e d é l é g a o de L i t h u a n i e a v a i t p r o t e s ­

t é d a n s l a s é a n c e même, comme c o n t r a i r e h. l ' a r t i c l e 17 de l a

C o n v e n t i o n de Memel, l e d é l é g u é de L i t h u a n i e n e p e u t m anquer

d ‘‘e x p r i m e r I Ta v i s que o Te s t c e t t e r é s o l u t i o n du C o n s e i l , q u i

l o i n d : e x e r c e r u n e i n f l u e n c e p a c i f i c a t r i c e e t c a l m a n t e , a

c a u s é , au c o n t r a i r e , u n e e x c i t a t i o n d o n n a n t à l ’é l é m e n t oppose

1 , _

h I n r e u n i o n même de Kernel à l a L i t h u a n i e l a p o s s i b i l i t é

de d é c l a n c h e r , u n e f o i s d e p l u s , u n e a g i t a t i o n n o n j u s t i f i é e

p a r l a s i t u a t i o n j u r i d i q u e e t c o n t r a i r e a u x i n t é r ê t s ûêm es

de te e m e l .

Le D é lé g u é de L i t h u a n i e c o n s i d è r e de so n d e v o i r

d ' a t t i r e r 1 ' a t t e n t i o n de S . E . M o n s i e u r l e S e c r é t a i r e

G é n é r a l s u r c e s f a i t s e t p e n s e q u Ti l s e r a i t u t i l e que l e s

Membres du C o n s e i l en f u s s e n t i n f o r m é s .

J^raduc t io n de l Tallemond. xjtj;, k /r

4J91S

( ï i e n o l o r Daiapfboot du 2 9 .1 2 * 1 9 2 5.,)

do i-.emel de se

J S l a i M r e d e v a n t l a Soc i é t é d e s N a t i o n s .

( T o ld g r acme de n o t r e c o r r e s p o n d i t de G e n è v e ) ,

G enève , l o 2b s e p t e m b r e 1 9 2 5 .

Le C o n s e i l d e l a Cocîé té d e s N a t i o n a d é c i d é a u j o u r d 1

h u i d To c t r o y e r a u x c i t o y e n s mé’m é l o i s l e d r o i t d e s e p l a i n d r e

d e v a n t l e C o n s e i l , en d é p i t d e s p ro t e s t a t i o n s du d é l é g u é

l i t h u a n i e n , M o n s i e u r G a l v a n a u s k a s .

L es p l a i n t e s d e v r o n t ê t r e a d r e s s é e s au S e c r é t a i r e

v e n d r a i g u i d é c i d e r a s i e l l e s d o i v e n t ou n o n ê t r e t r a n s m i s e s

a u r Mei i. e s du C o n s e i l »

Connu n i e g. te à to Members o f t h e Gor.nei 1 .

CONVENTI OIT OIT

1 - •■■■■■■ - ■

P F ï> V-; ?v* f r - i ; .

t - l " ' * 1: - / N C .GS 1 .1 9 2 5 .V II ,/- .">4‘ i> C* ~r k-TfW a • * w* 1 ;-\ r ,

il Genova, O c t o b e r 2 3 r d , 1925

i-T l~n. frL: b -Qf^éxE 3BHRI-JQEY OF HE2.D31.

N o te b y t h e S e c r a t a r y - G e n o r a l .

The a t t a c h e d memorandum, w i t h one a n n e x , i s c o m m u n ica tcd to t h e C o u n c i l a t t h e r e q u e s t o f t h e P e r m a n e n t D e l e g a t e o f L i t h u a n i a t o t h e L eague o f M a t i o n s ,

G eneva ,O c t o b e r 5 t h , 192 5 .

II B H O R A O ü U .

T r a n s l a t i o n .

The ’’Home 1 e r Dam pfboot" , a German n e w s p a p e r o.f Homo 1 ,

h a s j u s t p u b l i s h e d i n l a r g e t y ^ e on th e f r o n t page o f i t s i s s u e

of S e p te m b e r 2 9 t h , 1 9 2 5 , a news i t e m w i t h t h e h e a d l i n e :

" C i t i z e n s o f Hamel h a v e r e c e i v e d the r i g h t t o a i d r e s s c o m p l a i n t s

t o th e L eag u e o f N a t i o n s " , and g o e s on t o s a y t h a t t h e C o u n c i l o f

t h e League Ox N a t i o n s a t i t s m e e t i n g o f S e p te m b e r 2 8 th gave t h e

i n h a b i t a n t s o f Mom e l th e r i g h t t o a d d r e s s c o m p l a i n t s a g a i n s t th e

L i t h u a n i a n G overnm en t t o t h e C o u n c i l o f t h e League o f N a t i o n s ; i t

c o n s e q u e n t l y i n v i t e s th e i n h a b i t a n t s o f Kernel to a d d r e s s t h e i r

c o m p l a i n gs t o t h e C o u n c i l o f the L e a g u e o f N a t i o n s .

At i t s m o o t i n g o f S e p t e m b e r 2 8 t h , 1 9 2 5 , th e C o u n c i l o f

che League o f N a t i o n s r e s o l v e d to a u t h o r i s e t h e S e c r e t a r y «-General

t o f o r w a r d c o m m u n ic a t io n s b e a r i n g on i n f r a c t i o n s o r a l l e g e d

i n f r a c t i o n s o f t h e Homo 1 C o n v e n t i o n to t h e Members o f t h e C o u n c i l .

At th e same m e e t i n g th e L i t h u a n i a n D e l e g a t e p r o t e s t e d a g a i n s t t h i s

r e s o l u t i o n a s b e i n g c o n t r a r y t o A r t i c l e 17 of t h e Memo 1 C o n v e n t i o n .

Th° L i t h u a n i a n D e l e g a t e a g a i n f e e l s b o u n d to e x p r e s s the o p i n i o n •

t h a u t h i s r e s o l u t i o n o f t h e C o u n c i l , f a r f rom e x e r c i s i n g a

p a c i f y i n g and c a l m i n g i n f l u e n c e , h a s a r o u s e d e x c i t e m e n t w h ich h a s

a l l o w e d t h e p a r t y opposed to t h e i n c o r p o r a t i o n c f Kernel i n L i t h u a n i a

to s t i r u p once more a n a g i t a t i o n q u i t e u n j u s t i f i e d by th e l e g a l

c i tu â t ion and c or, t r a r y to the "bos g i n t e r e s t s o f I.iGinol.

The t j.t ha a n i an 2)o l e g a t o c o n s i d e r s i t t o bo h i s

d a t .7 t o d ra w t o o - î icc ro t a ^ . -O o n o r a l ’ s a t t e n t i o n t o th o o o

f a c t s rncl v o n tx i r c s t e c u g c e s t t h a t t h e Ho ml) e r a o f t h e

C o u n c i l S i o j l d ho i n f o m o d oC tiionu

A IÏ .M , £MEL2313ï2 DÆPPBOOÏ" o f 2 9 / 9 / 1 9 2 5 ) .

"THE CiœiZEllS Oïv M3MEL ARE Q M l'E i) ÏHE E l CET

OE AI'DPJÜSSIKG OOIÆPLAZInTo l ’O ÏHE LEAGUE OF M 1 0 .trS n .

(3y t e l e g r a m f ro m o u r Genova C o r r e s p o n d e n t )„

G eneva , S e p te m b e r 2 8 th 1525»

b The C o u n c i l o f tho L e a g u e o f M a t io n s d c c i d e d

t o - d a y t o g r a n t t h o e i t i a c n a o f Memol t h e r i g h t

o f a d d r e s s i n g c o m p l a i n t s t o t h e C o u n c i l , d e s p i t e

t h a p r o t e s t s o f tho L i t h u a n i a n D e l e g a t e ,

N «, Ga 1 v e n o u s k a s .

T h ese c o m p l a i n t s s h o u ld "be a d d r e s s e d t o t h e

S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l who w i l l d e c i d e i f t h e y a r c t o bo

f o r w a r d e d o r n o t t o th e Members o f th e C o u n c i l ,

Form No. i6.

DOCUMENTS DISPOSAL SHEET

For use with all documents intended for circulation to the Members of the League, of the Council, of the Assembly, or of League Committees or Conferences.

TO BE FILLED IN BY SECTION.

Section of origin

Registered File No. ju f ' l I

Subject ru ^ fa ^

0 G T r l ^ " ^ y ) *

ANNEXES.

The section of origin is responsible for submitting one complete set

of annexes to the Drafting Committee with the document.

/ ) £<cc-oa ffci-CUj.* n< V e^ .V 3'. £ . ^ if.......

j) ^ ~ U. . dfd.ZJ.. 2 5'.........................

................................. z " 7 ■

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7 ^ ^ ^ kT , 2.^ ‘..................

Document for (*) ( Auuumbiy,

circulation to ( Council,

( Mmiherh u f Luagllti , ( Ooflim.i 11 bc )

Special remarks by section.

(*) Cross out what is not applicable

2484-2/24- 1000.

P. T . 0

Whether for inseition in Official Journal? .. ...................

9 tpSent to Secretary of Drafting Committee on ... .............

Whether and for what purpose to be V L J/ 0submitted to the Secretary-General? /??,.

Whether to be translated? .................. ...... .................

Name of Member of Section who will jr , Lf /attend Drafting Committee ............................ ......

TO BE FILLED IN BY SECRETARY OF DRAFTING COMMITTEE.V

Approved by the Secretary-General on ......

Sent for translation on .................. ...

Considered by Drafting Committee on ....... .................

e

(prin Ling, on .................

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( multigraphing,— cm_............

TO BE FILLED IN BY DISTRIBUTION BRANCH.

Distributed on IÈ. ; k L kvO'M. f a t e * . i k ..Jftf.

(*) Cross out what is not applicable

Communiqué aux Membres 0 . ( ? 3 t , 1 9 2 5 .du C o n s e i l . - __________

C e n ê v e , l e l b o c t o b r e 1925

JOUYEIJTIOH ISL^TIY?: AU STATUT IU TERBITOI&ci DE IE I 5 L

I lo te du S e c r é t a i r e g é n é r a l .

l e m ém oire , c i - j o i n t , ^ e s t c o m m u n i q u é a i ^ - ^ o m b r c c

otj -1&-<3Uh_ C o n s e i l â l a demande du d é l é ç i i é permteriejit ü - th u ; . .n ie n

■ ,c* •• ;'*■ „ v "'{ \\ V / '^ .V . \

a u p r è s de l a S o c i é t é des H â t i o n s . 5 V> >\ w v i.Ui • ■ _ i

= ' • - . . ’!\ f - «w Cs" <

. î e > *"

Communicated to theMembers of the Council. C. 'V jL

Geneva, O i l *~%l

CONVENTION ON JHE STaT uS Off Ji^lRITORY OF MELŒL.

N ote b y t h e S e c r e t a r y * G e n e r a l .

The a t t a c h e d m em orandum ,w ith one a n n e x , i s

co m m u n ica ted t o th e C o u n c i l a t the

r e q u e s t o f t h e P e rm a n e n t D e l e g a t e o f fcfeac L i t h u a n i a

t o t h e League o f N a t i o n s .

J4f« ^ A. 1 .Lithu1*X V \Xthuanian Délégationto the^^eague af Natr q n s . ..

^ V I !

* * * * * ? '

fTjU^MY $4 v-* 4 if-**.-

The "Me me 1er Dampfboot", a German newspaper of

Memelyhas just published in large type on the front page of

its issue of September 29th, 1925, a news item with the head­

line : "Citizens of Memel have received the right to address

complaints to the League of nations”, and goes on to saya P

that the Council of the League of Nations duyiag its meeting of

September 28th gave the inhabitants of Memel the right to ad­

dress complaints to the Council of the League of Nations'L't

(against the Lithuanian Government‘and consequently invites the

inhabitants of lîemel to address their complaints to the Council

of the League of Nations.

îe Council of th^teague of Nations) its

meeting of September 28th, 1925, tevé«ig\resolved to authorise

infractions or alleged infractions of the Memel Convention^ »... , \

to the Members of the Council^(against wfe4»k resolution'$he j

the Secretary-General to forward communications bearing on

he Me

re

Lithuanian Delegate protested aft m *hynwuwMiMefr taiijlas being

contrary to Article 17 of the Memel Convention» "^he Lithuanian

Delegate feels bound to express the opinion that this resolution A

of the Council*, far from exercising a pacifying and calming

influence, has aroused excitement which has allowed the party

opposed to the -annoxati-Qft of Memel Lithuania to ini-tt»W

once more an agitation quite unjustified by the legal situation

and contrary to the best interests of Memel.

The Lithuanian Delegate considers it to be his

duty to draw the Secretary-General’s attention to these facts and

ventures to suggest that the Members of the Council should be

informed of them.

, October 5th, 1925.

ANNEX. ( "M32EL3R DAMPFBOOT* of 29/9/1925).

"THE CITIZENS OF MBMEL ARE GRANTED THE RIGHT

OF ADDRESSING COMPLAINTS TO THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS.n

(By telegram from our Geneva Correspondent. )

Geneva, Sept. 28th. 1925.

The Council of the League of Nations decided» y OX

tofday to grant the citizens^the right of address­

i n g complaints to the Council, despite the

protests /of the Lithuanian Delegate, M. Galvanauskas

These complaints should be addressed to the

Secretary-General who will decide if they are to

he forwarded or not to the Members of the Council.

D É L É G A T IO N DE L I T H U A N I E

j > 0 P >

I r?fCt' ,V'FO i / p ^ e S / S T R y

1L% -0Cl-132S

r r —

♦O C I É T É DES N A T I O N S

G E N E V E1 3 , Q U A I D U M O N T - B L A N C

1^5 October 21st 1925October 21st 1925.

Dear Sir Bric,

I regret very much the delay,caused by my ^ ^

absence, in answering your letter 1 1 / 46918/15971

of October 12th.

Regarding the question raised in your letter as

to the circulation of my memorandum of October 12th.

I should like you to state to the members of the

Council that the memorandum is being circulated at

the request of the Permanent Delegate of Lithuania.

To the Honorable Sir Eric Drummond,Secretary G-eneral of the League of Hâtions,

G e n e v e .

Yours sincerely

11/4691^/15971 Geneva

O ctober 1 2 th , 1925

Bear £r* ^aunius,

With r e fe r e n c e to our c o n v e r s a t io n o f t h e 5th o f t h l e

month srnâ the iae&arandmfl on the M ew l q u e s t io n which you

have s e n t me, I should oe much o b l ig e d I f you woald c l e a r

up th e fo l lo w in g p o in t .

You w i l l remember t e l l i n g me t h a t you had n o t w r i t t e n

the memorandum by tb e i n s t r u c t i o n s o f your Government,

though you had no doubt th a t i t ex p r essed t h e i r v ie w » .

?he l a s t paragraph, however, s t a t e # t h a t i t would be v a lu a b le

f o r the mcrmbers o£ tue C ounoil t o be informed o f i t s c o n te n t* .

I ought perhaps to add th a t 1 doubt w hether I sh ou ld be

j u s t i f i e d in c i r c u l a t i n g your memorandum to th e members o f

th e Conns11 fo r t h e i r in fo r m a tio n u n le s s I can a t the same

tim e s t a t e t;iat 1 am doing so a t tho r e q u e s t o f the permanent

D elegate o f A t h u a n le . A» your æeaorandam le a v e o some

■li#u.et ad to whether yo i lnienAed so aake a form al r e q u e s t

f o r th e e i r e u l a t i :>f the doc’.jmeat, or to le a v e the d ao iS ion

w ith s*e, i t would bo dep ir -ib le t o have your d e f i n i t e view

on she a s t t e r .

Xcurss sincerely ,

(5; E . *ï>.

Dr. 2J0ÎJIU3Permanent tio ieg^ te o f L ith u a n ia

accredit' 1 to t ie le a g u e o f J e t i o n s , 15, vuai /. Wilson,

Seneva .

11 /4 6 9 18 /1 597 1 Genera.

October 8 t h , 1926.

Bear JDr. 3a uni a»,

S l t h r e f e r e n c e t j oar c o n v e r s a t io n o f th e 5 th o f

t : i ia month and th e memorandum on th e jaenel q u e s t io n

which you have t en t « e , I sh ou ld be much o b l ig e d i f you

would c l e a r ap th e fo l lo w in g p o in t .

You w i l l remember t e l l i n g me t h a t you had n ot

w r i t t e n th e memor&ndam by th e I n s t r u c t io n s o f your

Government, though you had no doubt th a t i t exp ressed

t h e i r v ie w s . The l a s t paragraph, however, s t a t e s th a t

i t would be v a lu a b le f o r th e members o f th e C ouncil to.a difa&C' i/Vy/

be informed o f i t s cont e n t s * ^ J X io é i f f lu u ^ f ~f j j we t o

alwHriSrre"^ >ur m«aort ndam to the members o f the C ouncil

fo r t h e i r in fo r m st lo n u n le s s 1 can a t th e same tim e s t a t e

tu

uXI

fen Juaunell1. e U lu l i" ts 'u iil tohe

u n le s s 1 can a t th e same tim<

i h e r eou eg t o f the L ith u a n ia■ * - ^ . i « * a I j - i i y

th a t 1 ats do ing aa..a tSV*%.*<€4*

uulom. i ne mo lit e r ia 'q a B Sfciag H e a t an 13,y eméc e .»

e e a e l ^ wt i l u i i ’fti'-u j l Uhe et

hft f p iri «a—fcr. ir, P-ii-m r-,m

y— • ——— ■< éO teM m» t ii >4— mMNI pMHI — —I S i 1v ,£.1 y<.* b < « a i ,\ f e-frtwt meirihfifTff o f th e Ceane i l f e» . f h aie in f n r meî l in?

Yours s i n c e r e l y ,

T ^ U r t i ï tL

?

Dr. ZAUSIÜS,permanent d e l e g a t e o f L ithu an ia

a c c r e d ite d to th e League o f g â t i o n s , 16 . Coal « . W ilson ,

Geneva.

y.

11 /4 6918 /1 5971 v Gen eva.

October 8 t h , 19£5,

/r

Dear Dr. Zaunius,

ft 1th r e f e r e n c e t ; oar c o n v e r s a t io n o f th e 5th o f

t i i s month and the memorandum on th e Memel q u e s t io n

which you heve i^ent me, I should be much o b l ig e d I f you

would c l e a r up the f o l lo w in g p o i n t .

You w i l l remember t e l l i n g me t h a t you had not

w r i t t e n th e memorandum by th e I n s t r u c t io n s o f your

Government, though you had no doubt th a t i t exp ressed

t h e i r v ie w s . The l a s t paragraph, however, s t a t e s th a t

i t would be v a lu e b le f o r th e members o f th e Council to. ...

be informed o f i t s c o n t e n t s . J m . mi it»

c i r c u l â t * y ; u r m m o n ndom, to the members o f the Council ,of J C ft'

fo r t h e i r in form ation qnlasjB.. 1 c a n s e m e time" s t a t e•t*'ti* u» fo4ul>) y u /L*. ,V th a t 1 am doing so a t ^ t i e r e q u e s t wlenrCFovwn-

ment, oa^u nless tue m atter in q u e s t io n i s a c t u a l l y under

c o n s id e r a t io n by the C ou n c i l , which I s not the c s s e . j

Sould you t h e r e f o r e be so good as to inform me whether

your Government d e s i r e s me to c i r c u l a t e your memorandum

to the members o f the Council for t h e i r in form ation?

Yours s i n c e r e l y .

Dr. 2AU£IU5,lormanent y e l e g e t e o f L ithuania

accredited to the League o f l is t ions , 15. ual A. A i l s o n ,

Geneva.

Il •

MINUTE SHEET-Il 46918/7ri?

*/S"RECORD OF CONVERSATION ✓ ; h t V C I V Ï .; |

R £ (j f Si f — • - < HTI ! _.Q OOT .vrv1 : O - ! ; : , J - « Vo rUùir 1 9 2 5

Dr. Zaunius came t o see me t h i s morning to

d isc u s s with me th e in f lu e n c e which the re c e n t

d e c is io n of the Council had had on t h e p o p u la t io n

of Memel. T h is , he e x p la in ed , had been un fo rtuna te

as i t had done e x a c t ly what the L i th u a n ia n Govern­

ment had fo re se e n , namely,, % i n c i t e ) t h e po p u la t io n

to send in p e t i t i o n s to the League. The Memel

P re ss had been p a r t i c u l a r l y v io le n t in t h i s r e s p e c t

and he had a lso r e c e n t l y n o t ic ed the German P ress

had taken a s im i l a r l i n e .

I s a id to him t h a t o f course I q u i t e r e a l i s e d

t h a t what had occurred was l i k e l y to have a somewhat

unhappy e f f e c t f o r some l i t t l e time to come bu t

t h a t I could no t admit t h a t the r e s p o n s i b i l i t y for

t h i s l a y a l t o g e th e r on th e Council; as i f th e

m a t te r had gone th rough q u i e t l y , I d id not b e l ie v e

much a t t e n t i o n would have been c a l l e d t o i t . I t

was th e extreme o p p o s i t io n shewn to the Council fs

p roposa l by th e L i thuan ian Delegate t h a t had b ro u ^ i t

the ques tion i n to prominence.

He then produced a s h o r t "Aide-Memoire”

summarising what he had a l r e a d y said* I understood

t h a t he had n o t w r i t t e n th e memo rand un by th e

i n s t r u c t i o n s of h i s Government, though he expressed

no doubt t h a t t h i s was what th ey wished and f e l t .

As th e memo ran dun con ta ined a sen tence s t a t i n g t h a t

the d e c is io n o f the Council was c o n t r a ry to Artie3s

17 pf th e Memel Convention, I advised him to mciify

M I N U T E S H E E T -

- 2 -

t h a t express ion s ince o therw ise i t m ight be

regarded as a ch a l len g e by the Council and

th e r e s u l t might poss ib le be re fe re n c e to

th e C o u r t . I s a id t h a t i n my view any such

re fe re n c e cou ld on ly have unfavour ab le r e s u l t s

f o r L i th u a n ia and the refer e I th o u g i t i t o ig h t

to be avoided. I m yself d id no t Relieve t h a t

the p r e s e n t procedure adopted by th e Council

would lea d to d i f f i c u l t i e s . I f the p e t i t i o n s

or in fo rm ation from Memel were i l l - f o u n d e d , i t

was not l i k e l y t h a t any Member of the Council

would tak e ttem up under A r t i c l e 17 o f tte

Convention.

As a r e s u l t of what I s a i d , Dr. Zaunius

agreed to change s l i g i t l y the t e x t of the

memorandum and has now s e n t me an amended

v e rs io n , which i s a t t a c h e d .

He f u r t h e r r a i s e d th e ques t ion of the

r i g h t s o f th e Members o f the Council under

A r t i c l e 17. He s a id th a t he th o u g i t i f a

Member of th e C ouncil , u t i l i s i n g in fo rm ation

con ta ined in a p e t i t i o n , asked t h a t the

m a t te r shou ld be p laced on the Council agenda,

th e Member of the Council in q u e s t io n would

have to j u s t i f y h i s a c t io n on the ground th a t

h i s Govermient had examined th e com plain ts a id

had come to the conc lus ion th a t they were

j u s t i f i e d by the s i t u a i ion in Memel. I t wauld

n o t be s u f f i c i e n t f o r a Member of the Council

s im ply t o s ta te th a t the p e t i t i o n brought

forward c e r t a i n a l l e g a t i o n s and to ask fo r the

observa t ions o f th e L i th u a n ian Government thereon,(OVER

M1N UTE SHEET-

- 3 -

I r e p l i e d t h a t I thought the L ith u an ia n

G-overmient shou ld be v e ry c a r e f u l on such a

p o in t . A r t i c l e 17 p laced no l i m i t a t i o n on

the r i g h t s o f th e Member of th e Council and

i f th e L i th u an ian Government attem pted to do

so , t h i s might again lead to a r e q u e s t tha t

the Court should i n t e r p r e t A r t i c l e 17 and the

r i g h t s of th e Members of the Council t h e r e ­

under. I cou ld not see t h a t th e L ith u a n ian

Governnent had any th ing tu gain from such a

r e f e r a i ce as th e p re se n t procedure was the

most favou rab le to them th a t could be reasonab ly

ad o p te d .

L a s t ly , Dr. Zaunius s a id t h a t he would l i k e

to have my p e rso n a l opin ion on the ques t ion c£

M in o r i t ie s i n Memel. Tue es i uu£ ion ve ry

d i f f i c u l t , s in c e as a m a t te r cf f a c t t te L i t h ­

uan ian element i n th e Memel T e r r i t o r y was r e a l l y

in the p o s i t i o n of a M inori ty as a g a in s t a

m a jo r i ty , th a t i s to say , p r a c t i c a l l y a l l th e

schools were run on German l i n e s , the Gennan•fcuugUr

language was almost u n i v e r s a l l y ta lk e d and

Germanising in f lu e n c e s con tinuous ly a t work.

This made the p o s i t i o n o f th e L i thuan ian Gov­

ernment ex trem ely d i f f i c u l t . They f e l t tha t

they might have to take a c t io n as r e ^ r d s

schools e s p e c i a l l y , which would modify the

p resen t s t a t u s quo, s in ce th a t s t a t u s quo Was

not f a i r t o L i th u a n ia ! c h i ld re n .

MIN UTE SHEET-

- 4 -

I s a id to him th a t I cÈûld not take the

r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of re p ly in g to a genera l ques tion

o f t h i s k ind . A ll I could say was th a t i f p e t ­

i t i o n s were rece ived from tke Germans under the

M inori ty c lauses o f the Convention, he might be

assured t h a t th e Council would d e a l with e ach

case on i t s m e r i t s and would tak e d e c is io n s

acco rd ing as t o whether the changes to vih i c h the

p e t i t i o n might r e f e r were, o r were n o t , in f a c t ,

f a i r and rea so n ab le .

I added th a t I th o u g i t he m ight d iscu ss a l l

t h i s q u es t io n o f schools with Mr. Golban and th a t

in my b e l i e f i t would be wise i f tti e L ithuan ian

Government in v i t e d Mr. Côlban to go to L i th u an ia

some time in the S p r ing , so th a t he could examine

the s i t u a t i o n h im se lf . I emphasised t h a t vtfiile

we a p p re c ia te d t h a t the M in o r i t i e s had c e r t a i n

v e ry d fe t inc t r i g h t s , they had e q u a l ly a v e ry

d e f i n i t e o b l ig a t io n , namely, to become good L i th ­

u an ian c i t i z e n s . Mr. Golban could perhaps impress

t h i s p o in t of view olL the M in o r i t i e s b e t t e r than

anyone e l s e .

Dr. Zaunius r e p l i e d t h a t now the re c e n t

M in o r i t i e s q u e s t io n had been s e t t l e d , h i s Govern­

ment in tended to i s s u e such an i n v i t a t i o n to Mr.

Golban. He added th a t he hoped t h a t a f t e r the

e le c t io n s had taken p lace in Memel, much of th e

p r e s e n t a g i t a t i o n would d i s down as p a r l iam en ta ry

d isc u s s io n s allowed the members of the v a r ious

p a r t i e s , e t c . , freedom to express p u b l ic ly th e i r

op in io n s , and t h i s ac ted as a s a fe ty -v a lv e . But

he hoped t h a t i t would be r e a l i s e d here t h a t the

L ith u an ia n Government might have to take s te p s

to ensure the gene ra l supremacy of th e L i thuan ian

S ta te and to take a c t io n whereby the p r e s e n t

Germanising tendency could be p reven ted .

f t .

5th October. 19B5.

Monsieur M&ntoux Mfi. "CôlêarT ï)rT ~vàn~Hamel

Ü

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0 D ÉL É G A T IO N D E L I T H U A N I EiO 46918 '11'

S O C I É T É DES N A T I O N S

G E N E V E1 5 , Q U A I D U M O N T - B L A N C

r* 'v it n or : —k - ; , - y./ §-o.-Jui.-'iazD

a

Le "Memelfr Dampf boot" journal allemand de

Memel, vient de publier dans son numéro du 2 9 sep­

tembre 1925 à la première page et en grandes let­

tres, une nouvelle intitulée:* Les mémélois ont reçu

le droit de se plaindre devant la Société des Na­

tions 1, tiouvelle dans laquelle il affirme que le

Conseil de la Société des Mations dans sa séance

du 28 septembre, a octroyé aux habitants mémélois

le droit de se plaindre devant le Conseil de la Soci­

été des Nations contre le Gouvernement Lithuanien,

et par suite, invite les mémélois à adresser leurs

plaintes au Secrétaire Général de la Société des

Nations.

Le Conseil de la Société des Nations, dans sa

séance du 28 septembre 1 9 2 5 , ayant aadopté la ré­

solution de charger le Secrétaire Général de trans­

mettre aux Membres du Conseil les plaintes allé­

guant des infractions à la Convention de Memel,

résolution contre laquelle le délégué de Lithuanie

avait protesté dans la séance même, comme contraire

à l ’article 1 7 de la Convention de Memel, le délé­

gué de Lithuanie ne peut manquer d 1 exprimer l'avis

que c 1 est cette résolution du Conseil, qui, loin

d'exercer une influence pacificatrice et calmante,

a causé, au contraire, une excitation donnant

à 1 'élément opposé à la réunion même de Memel à

la Lithuanie la possibilité de déclancher, une fols

de plus, une agitation non Justifiée par la situa­

tion juridique et contraire aux intérêts mêmes de

Memel.

Le Délégué de Lithuanie considère de

son devoir d ’attirer 1 ‘attentlon de S.E. Mon­

sieur le Secrétaire Général sur ces faits et pense

qu'il serait utile que les Membres du Conseil

en fussent Informés.

Genève, le 5 octobre 1925.

46918

traduction de 1 *allemand♦

(Memeler Dampfboot du 29 IX 1925)

t

Le droit est octroyé aux citoyens de Memel de ae

•plaindre devant la Société dea Nations.

(télégramme de notre correspondent de

Genève.)

Genève, le 28 septembre 1925.

Le Conseil de la Société des Nations a décidé

aujourd’hui d'octroyer aux citoyens mémélois le droit de

se plaindre devant le Conseil, en dépit des protestations

du délégué lithuanien, Monsieur Galvanauskas.

Les plaintes devront être adressées au Secrétaire

Général qui décidera si elles doivent ou non etre trans­

mises aux Membres du Conseil.

POLITICAL. 11.

ficir: I 9 X S

I 3 1 L -

1925

/