Battleships and Equality

In 1922 the United States, Britain, France, Italy and Japan signed the Five-Power Naval Limitation Treaty. The treaty was intended to limit the number of capital ships (battleships and cruisers) and the number of aircraft carriers the signatory nations could build. The treaty failed to avert a naval arms race, but it does demonstrate an interesting American trademark.

The treaty lists the delegates from the various signatory nations, complete with titles, positions and awards. For example, the French delegation is listed as:
Mr. Albert Sarraut, Deputy, Minister of the Colonies;
Mr. Jules J. Jusserand, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States of America, Grand Cross of the National Order of the Legion of Honour;

The Italian delgation consisted of:
The Honourable Carlo Schanzer, Senator of the Kingdom;
The Honourable Vittorio Rolandi Ricci, Senator of the Kingdom, His Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Washington;
The Honourable Luigi Albertini, Senator of the Kingdom;

The British delegation was especially grandiose:
The Right Honourable Arthur James Balfour, O. M., M. P., Lord President of His Privy Council;
The Right Honourable Baron Lee of Fareham, G. B. E., K. C. B., First Lord of His Admiralty;
The Right Honourable Sir Auckland Campbell Geddes, K. C. B., His Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States of America;

And the Japanese delegation was every bit as garish:
Baron Tomosaburo Kato, Minister for the Navy, Junii, a member of the First Class of the Imperial Order of the Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun with the Paulownia Flower;
Baron Kijuro Shidehara, His Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Washington, Joshii, a member of the First Class of the Imperial Order of the Rising Sun;
Mr. Masanao Hanihara, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jushii, a member of the Second Class of the Imperial Order of the Rising Sun;


In contrast to all this pomp and ostentation was the simple, egalitarian way in which the Americans were listed:
Charles Evans Hughes,
Henry Cabot Lodge,
Oscar W. Underwood,
Elihu Root,
citizens of the United States;


These men represented a country in which “all men are created equal”. We sometimes forget how distinctive America is. Thank you again, Mr. Jefferson.