Hague Peace Conferences Declaration

At the First Hague Peace Conference in 1899, Article 23(a) banned the use of poisons or poisoned arms and was ratified by the United States. A separate declaration banning asphyxiating gasses in shells was rejected by the United States even though the major European powers all signed it (Taylor and Taylor, 1985). 

Unlike tlie privateers tliat liad existed prior to the Declaration of Paris, these merchant cruisers were to be commissioned as naval vessels throughout the period of their engagement and manned by service personnel. It was this distinction from the earlier )rivately owned md crew ed vessels that permitted Britain to implement these conversions. The anomaly - for anomaly it w as - surfaced in the later Hague Peace Conference when the use of vessels of this type was finally regulated. 

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