Kellogg-Briand Pact

The Kellogg-Briand Pact, also known as the Pact of Paris, after the city where it was signed on August 27, 1928, is an international treaty "providing for the renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy." It failed in this purpose, but is significant for later developments in international law.

Proposal

The pact was proposed in 1927 by Aristide Briand, the French foreign minister and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, as a bilateral treaty between the United States and France outlawing war between the two countries. Briand thought it would both improve the cooled relations between the former allies and, more importantly, ensure that the United States would ally with France in the event of another European war.

Related Topics:
1927 - Aristide Briand - French - Foreign minister - Nobel Peace Prize

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Frank B. Kellogg, the US Secretary of State, wanted to avoid any involvement in another European War, and so was cool to the proposal. However, if he opposed the treaty he would be attacked in both Congress and the press by groups which favored such an agreement. Kellogg thus responded with a proposal for a multilateral pact against war open for all nations to become signatories.

Related Topics:
Frank B. Kellogg - US Secretary of State - Congress

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