Message to the Senate Transmitting a Convention for the Promotion of Safety of Life at Sea.

To the Senate:

With a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification of the Convention, I transmit herewith a certified copy of a Convention for promoting safety of life at sea, the original of which is deposited with the British Government, signed at London on May 31, [p.479] 1929, by representatives of eighteen countries at the International Conference held at London in April and May, last, for the purpose of revising the International Convention of January 20, 1914, on the same subject. The countries on whose behalf the Convention was signed are the United States of America, Germany, the Commonwealth of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Spain, the Irish Free State, Finland, France, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, India, Italy, Japan, Norway, The Netherlands, Sweden and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

The Senate will observe that by Article 62 of the Convention, the Convention will apply to the colonies, overseas territories, protectorates or territories under sovereignty or mandate of a contracting Government, only if that Government shall so declare its desire in a declaration in writing addressed to the Government of Great Britain.

The Convention is accompanied by the Final Act of the Conference signed at the same time as the Convention, embracing certain supplementary agreements, declarations and recommendations made by the Conference or Delegations of the several Governments represented at the Conference.

An appropriate declaration made by the Delegation of the United States of America, as a safeguard against any possible misconstruction of the position of the United States in regard to the recognition of the regime now functioning in Russia, known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, is included in the Final Act.

The attention of the Senate is invited to the enclosed report of the Secretary of State and its accompanying copies of the report of the Delegation of the United States to the Conference and of the Exhibits with the latter report, which documents furnish detailed information regarding the Conference and the Convention.

HERBERT HOOVER

The White House,

December 17, 1929.