THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS: Soul-Baring

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Aristide Briand of France. Since League member states are technically not bound by any treaty to which they have adhered until a copy is registered with the League, the Pact of Paris did not become legally effective among most of its signatories until last week, despite its impressive promulgation at Washington by President Hoover (TIME, June 10).

¶ A commission representing the World Court Powers and authorized by the Assembly of the League formally assented to the so-called "Root Formula" under which the U. S. is expected to adhere to the Court at long last (see p. 12). President Hoover sent famed Jurist Root unofficially to Geneva last spring, and he remained there three weeks (TIME, March 18, et seq.), dickering with League and Court statesmen over mutually satisfactory terms of U. S. adherence. As finally drafted and approved the "Root Formula" will permit the U. S. to become one of the Court Powers under an elaborate reservation the substantial meaning of which is: Whenever the World Court is asked to opine on any question, then let the U. S. State Department be previously informed; let every effort be made to frame the question in a form acceptable to the U. S. State Department; and if this prove im- possible then let there be no hard feelings when the U. S. "naturally" withdraws from adherence to the Court.

* The Briand-Kellogg Pact of Paris was evolved by Mr. Kellogg as a multilateral treaty among all nations from a suggestion by M. Briand that the U. S. and France sign a bilateral treaty outlawing war between themselves.