A New Era in International Policy - The Centennial of the Washington Naval Conference

One hundred years ago the DAR hosted in Memorial Continental Hall a major diplomatic event – the Washington Naval Conference, also known as the Conference on the Limitation of Armament.  On November 12, 1921, the day after the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was dedicated, representatives from nine nations gathered in the Hall to discuss limiting naval armament on a global scale with the goal of preserving peace after the conclusion of the Great War and preventing an international arms race.  At the invitation of U.S. Secretary of State Charles E. Hughes, representatives from Great Britain, Japan, France, and Italy came to Washington to discuss reducing their naval capacities, while representatives from Belgium, China, Portugal, and the Netherlands were invited to discuss the situation in East Asia. 

Memorial Continental Hall became “the scene of events upon which the future of the world hangs suspended,” as described by DAR President General Anne Rogers Minor.  Each session of the conference was held in Memorial Continental Hall.  The floor of the auditorium was raised to the level of the stage, with a U-shaped council table placed in the middle for the heads of the delegations.  Representatives of the press from all around the world sat under the galleries.  Members of the U.S. House of Representatives sat in the north gallery; members of the U.S. Senate sat in the west gallery; and members of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Cabinet, and the diplomatic community sat in the south gallery.  The seats in the boxes overlooking the stage were reserved for First Lady Florence Harding; Second Lady Grace Coolidge; Antoinette Hughes, the wife of the U.S. Secretary of State; Madame Elise Jusserand, the wife of the French Ambassador; Lady Isabella Geddes, the wife of the British Ambassador; and DAR President General Anne Rogers Minor.

Three major treaties came out of the Washington Naval Conference – the Five-Power Treaty, the Four-Power Treaty, and the Nine-Power Treaty.

The Five-Power Treaty was the cornerstone of the naval disarmament program, halting the post-World War I race to build warships.  The treaty was signed by the United States, Great Britain, Japan, France, and Italy.  It called for each of the countries to maintain a set ratio of warship tonnage.  The treaty also stopped the building of large, capital ships and reduced the size of their navies by scrapping older ships.

In the Four-Power Treaty, the United States, France, Great Britain, and Japan also agreed to consult with one another before acting in the event of a future crisis in East Asia, as well as recognizing one another’s rights over the various Pacific islands that they possessed.

The Nine-Power Treaty was signed by all nine countries that were at the conference.  It respected the territorial integrity of China, while encouraging equal opportunity for all nations to do business with China.  Like the Four-Power Treaty, it also called for consultations between the countries in the event of a violation.

In recognition of the DAR hosting the Washington Naval Conference, Memorial Continental Hall was designated as a Registered National Historic Landmark on November 28, 1972.  The plaque affixed to the north corner of the building reads, “Memorial Continental Hall Has Been Designated a Registered Historic Landmark Under the Provisions of the Historic Sites Act of August 21, 1935.  This Site Possesses Exceptional Value in Commemorating or Illustrating the History of the United States.  U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service 1973.”

Sources referenced:

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia, "Washington Conference," Encyclopedia Britannica (October 30, 2019), https://www.britannica.com/event/Washington-Conference-1921-1922.

Office of the Historian, Foreign Service Institute, United States Department of State, “The Washington Naval Conference, 1921-1922,” Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations, https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/naval-conference.