German Empire, of which the King of Prussia is the German Emperor. The opinions of the Attorneys General of the United States, the decisions of Federal Courts and the correspondence between the German Empire on the one hand and the United States on the other, relating to the nature and binding effect of the treaties, were collected from official sources and issued in pamphlet form in March, 1917.
War was then imminent and, as the conduct whereof the United States complained was not stopped, on April 2 the President advised the Congress to declare the existence of a state of war between the United States and the Imperial German Government, which the Congress did on April 6, 1917. The treaties, with the exception of Articles XXIII and XXIV of that of 1799, were, in so far as binding, suspended or abrogated by the outbreak of the war. They have, however, a distinct place in international law as well as in the relations of the two contracting countries. The pamphlet containing them is therefore reissued in revised and permanent form.
JAMES BROWN SCOTT, Director of the Division of International Law.