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PROHIBITING LAUNCHING OF PROJECTILES AND EXPLOSIVES FROM BALLOONS (HAGUE, IV, 1)

  • Declaration signed at The Hague July 29, 1899
  • Senate advice and consent to ratification February 5, 1900
  • Ratified by the President of the United States April 7, 1900
  • Procès-verbal of first deposit of ratifications (including that of the United States) at The Hague dated September 4, 1900
  • Entered into force September 4, 1900
  • Proclaimed by the President of the United States November 1, 1901
  • Expired September 4, 1905; a new declaration on the same subject was signed on October 18, 1907[1]

32 Stat. 1839; Treaty Series 393

[TRANSLATION]

Declaration

The Undersigned, Plenipotentiaries of the Powers represented at the International Peace Conference at The Hague, duly authorized to that effect by their Governments, inspired by the sentiments which found expression in the Declaration of St. Petersburg of the 29th November (1lth December), 1868,[2]

Declare that:

The Contracting Powers agree to prohibit, for a term of five years, the launching of projectiles and explosives from balloons, or by other new methods of similar nature.

The present Declaration is only binding on the Contracting Powers in case of war between two or more of them.

It shall cease to be binding from the time when, in a war between the Contracting Powers, one of the belligerents is joined by a non-Contracting Power.

The present Declaration shall be ratified as soon as possible.

The ratifications shall be deposited at The Hague.

A procès-verbal shall be drawn up on the receipt of each ratification, of which a copy, duly certified, shall be sent through the diplomatic channel to all the Contracting Powers.


  1. TS 546, post, p. 739.
  2. For text, see American Journal of International Law, Supp. 1, p. 95; British and Foreign State Papers, vol. 58, p. 16.
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