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The Status of the United States Forces in English Law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2017

Egon Schwelb
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Extract

It is proposed to deal in this article with the English law concerning the legal status of the United States forces present in the territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland during the present war. The history of, and the controversies regarding, the legal position of friendly armed forces on foreign territory in international law remain outside of the scope of the present survey, which is devoted to the municipal aspect of the matter. In order, however, to give a picture of the whole body of English law applicable to the American forces we shall include a few remarks on the development of the question in English municipal and British imperial law, and it will also be necessary to compare the provisions concerning the United States forces with those regulating the status of the other allied and associated forces at present stationed in the British Isles, as well as with the provisions regarding visiting Dominion troops. As will be seen later there has been a certain amount of interdependence between international and interimperial relations with regard to the legal problem with which we are concerned.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Journal of International Law , Volume 38 , Issue 1 , January 1944 , pp. 50 - 73
Copyright
Copyright © by the American Society of International Law 1944

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References

1 See King, Colonel Archibald, “Jurisdiction over Friendly Foreign Armed Forces,” this Journal,Vol. 36 (1942), p. 539 Google Scholar, et seq.; Professor Arthur Goodhart, L., “The Legal Aspect of the American Forces in Great Britain,” American Bar Association Journal, November 1942, pp. 762–765 Google Scholar; Dr.Kuratowski, Roman, “International Law and the Naval, Military, and Air Force Courts of Foreign Governments in the United Kingdom,” Transactions of the Grotius Society, Vol. XXVIII (1942), p. 1 Google Scholar, et seq.; the present writer’s, “The Jurisdiction over the Members of the Allied Forces in Great Britain,” Czechoslovak Yearbook of International Law, London, 1942, p. 147, et seq., and, for the War of 1914–1918, Aline Chalufour, Le Statut Juridique des Troupes Alliés pendant la Guerre, 1914–1918.

2 S. R. & O., Nos. 367, 765; see “The Defence of the Realm Regulations Consolidated,” being Part II of the Defence of the Realm Manual, 7th Edition, Revised to March 31,1919.

3 The Attorney-General Sir Donald Somervell, statement made on August 4, 1942, Pari. Deb., House of Commons, Vol. 382, col. 930.

4 Imperial Conference, 1926, Summary of Proceedings, Cmd. 2768; Imperial Conference, 1930, Summary of Proceedings, Cmd. 3717; The Statute of Westminster, 1931, (22 Geo. 5, c. 4).

5 Cmd. 2768, at p. 12 and 18.

6 Report of the Conference on the Operation of Dominion Legislation and Merchant Shipping Legislation, 1929 (Cmd. 3479, 1930), par. 44.

7 Union of South Africa: Act No. 32 of 1932; The Defence Act (Amendment) and Dominion Forces Act, 1932. Chapter II: The Discipline and Internal Administration of Visiting Dominion Forces, Sections 6–11.

8 Visiting Forces (British Commonwealth) Act, 1933 (23 Geo. 5, c. 6).

9 Dominion of Canada: The Visiting Forces (British Commonwealth) Act, 1933 (23–24 Geo. V, c. 21).

10 Newfoundland: The Visiting Forces (British Commonwealth) Act; No. 29, 1940.

11 Sec. 11 of the Statute of Westminster.

12 22 Geo. 5, c. 22. Through Section 9 of the Army and Air Force (Annual) Act, 1943, the Commonwealth of Australia has been excluded from Sec. 187C of the Army Act and Sec. 187C of the Air Force Act because those sections are no longer required for Australia, Australia having now adopted the relevant provisions of the Statute of Westminster.

13 The Under-Secretary of State for War Earl Stanhope, October 25, 1932, Pari. Deb., House of Lords, Vol. 85, col. 807.

14 Supra, note 6 (Cmd. 3479).

15 February 13, 1933, Pari. Deb., Lords, Vol. 274, col. 746.

16 Ibid., col. 734.

17 3 & 4 Geo. 6, c. 51.

18 Allied Forces (Application of 23 Geo. 5, c. 6) (No. 1) Order, 1940; S. R. & 0., 1940, No. 1818.

19 Allied Forces (Application of 23 Geo. 5, c. 6) (No. 2) Order, 1941; S. R. & 0., 1941, No. 47.

After the recognition of the French Committee of National Liberation the Orders subjecting the “ Free French Forces ” to a special regime different from the status of the forces of the sovereign allied Powers (Sec. 1[2] of the Allied Forces Act) have been revoked and the French forces under the authority of the Algiers Committee have been placed in the same legal position as the forces of the other allied Powers. In the Order in Council S. R. & O., 1940, No. 1818, which enumerates the “ Powers allied with His Majesty,” “the Republic of France” has been added to the list of allied Powers: Orders in Council of September 24, 1943; S. R. & 0., 1943; Nos. 1379–1381.

20 The Allied Forces (Greece and Yugoslavia) Order, 1941; S. R. & O., 1941, No. 651.

21 The United States of America (Visiting Forces) Order, 1942; S. R. & O., 1942, No. 966.

22 For criticism see King, op. cit., p. 557.

23 Ibid.

24 3 & 4 Geo. 6, c. 51.

25 Parl. Deb., Commons, Vol. 382, cols. 876/877 (August 4, 1942).

26 The United States of America (Visiting Forces) (Colonies, &c.) Order, 1942; S. R. & O., 1942, No. 1576, and The United States of America (Application of 5 and 6 Geo. 6, c. 31 to Colonies, etc.) Order, 1942; S. R. & 0., 1942, No. 2410.

27 The Visiting Forces (British Commonwealth) (Application to the Colonies, &c.) Order in Council, 1940; S. R. & O., 1940, No. 1373, as amended by The Visiting Forces (British Commonwealth) (Application to Colonies, etc.) Order in Council, 1942; S. R. & O., 1942, No. 1905.

28 The Allied Forces (Application of Acts to Colonies, &c.) (No. 1 and No. 2) Orders, 1941; S. R. & O., 1941, Nos. 155 and 1102.

29 Cmd. 6259; this Journal, Vol. 35 (1941), Supp., p. 136.

30 In Newfoundland by the American Bases Act, No. 12,1941; in Trinidad by the United States Bases (Temporary Provisions) Ordinance, No. 37, 1941; in Jamaica by the United States Bases (Agreement) Law, 1941, No. 76, in Bermuda through different enactments of 1940 and 1941 etc.

31 King, op. cit, p. 556.

32 Orders made by the Army Council and Air Council under Paragraph 2 [3] of the Schedule to the United States of America (Visiting Forces) Order, 1942; S. R. & O., 1942, No. 1679.

33 Order, dated October 21, 1942, made by the Admiralty under Paragraph 2 [3] of the Schedule to the United States of America (Visiting Forces) Order, 1942; S. R. & O., 1942, No. 2192.

34 The Defence (United States Forces—Administration of Estates) Regulations, 1942; S. R. & O., 1942, No. 2562.

35 S. R. & O., 1942, No. 2561.

36 Parl. Deb., Commons, Vol. 364, cols. 1384–5 (August 21, 1940).

37 Ibid., Vol. 365, col. 149 (September 18, 1940).

38 Ibid., Vol. 367, col. 411 (December 3, 1940).

39 Ibid., Vol. 373, col. 1785 (August 5, 1941).

40 Ibid., Vol. 376, col. 1605 (December 10, 1941).

41 5 & 6 Geo. 6, c. 4, Sec. 1.

42 5 & 6 Geo. 6, c. 29.

43 See the note by Pavel Hartmann, in 6 Modern Law Review (1942–43), p. 72.

44 The Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Labour (Mr. McCorquodale), Pari. Deb., Commons, Vol. 380, col. 2178 (June 25, 1942).

45 The Allied Powers (War Service) Order, 1943, S. R. & O., 1943, No. 381.

46 With regard to similar arrangements during the War 1914–1918 see the Military Service (Conventions with Allied States) Act, 1917, 7 & 8 Geo. 5, Ch. 26, and the Conventions made under it by the United Kingdom with France (Agreement of October 4, 1917: Cmd. 8691; and Order in Councils: S. R. & O., 1917, No. 1216), Russia (Agreement of July 16, 1917: Cmd. 8588, and Order in Council: S. R. & O., 1917, No. 871), Italy (Agreement of December 11, 1917: Cmd. 8694; and Order in Council: S. R. & O., 1918, No. 52), Greece (Convention of August 8, 1918: Cmd. 9103; and Order in Council: S. R. & O., 1918, No. 1225), and the United States of America (Convention of June 3, 1918: Cmd. 9101; and Order in Council: S. R. & O., 1918, No. 1105). See further Fitzhugh, W. W. and Hyde, C. C., The Drafting of Neutral Aliens by the United States, this Journal , Vol. 36 (1942), p. 369 Google Scholar et seq.

47 Op. cit., p. 557.

48 Supra, note 2.

49 Parl. Deb., Commons, Vol. 364, col. 1389 (August 21, 1940).

50 Ibid., col. 1400.

51 Ibid., Vol. 369, col. 330 (February 20, 1941).

52 S. R. & O., 1940, No. 1818.

53 Ibid., 1941, No. 47.

54 Ibid., 1942, No. 966.

55 But the Visiting Forces (Royal Canadian Air Force) Order, 1942, S. R. & O., 1942, No. 2568, provides that no officer or airman of the Royal Canadian Air Force who is attached temporarily to the Royal Air Force shall, on conviction by court-martial, be liable to suffer death, penal servitude, imprisonment with or without hard labour and (in the case of an officer) cashiering or dismissal unless the infliction of such punishment is approved by the Governor General of Canada in Council.

Provisions to the like effect concerning Australia are contained in The Visiting Forces (Royal Australian Air Force) Order, 1943, 8. R. & O., 1943, No. 750. Cf. also The Visiting Forces (Military Courts-Martial) Order, 1942, S. R. & O., 1942, No. 270.

56 Parl. Deb., Commons, Vol. 364, col. 1405 (August 21, 1940).

57 Ibid., Vol. 382, col. 878 (August 4, 1942).

58 Par. 5.

59 The Times, London, August 3, 1942.

60 On this see also the Lord Chancellor Viscount Simon, Pari. Deb., Lords, Vol. 124, col. 60 (July 29, 1942).

61 See Art. 3 of the Polish-Britiah Protocol, 1940, quoted by Kuratowski, op. eit., p. 9, note 18, and Article 2 of Annex III of the British-Ceechoslovak Military Agreement of October 25, 1940, in Czechoslovak Yearbook of International Law, p. 156, and Article 2 of Paragraph 3 of the Decree of the President of the Czechoslovak Republic of May 13, 1942, in Czechoslovak Official Gasette (London), Vol. III, No. 9.

62 The Times, August 11, 1942.

63 Viscount Simon, loc. cit., col. 63.

64 A similar provision was contained in Subs. 9 of Regulation 45 F of the Defence of the Realm Regulations; supra, note 2.

65 1941: 2 K. B. 239 and 1942:1 K. B. 445.

Cf. Lord Wright’s dictum in Amand v. Home Secretary and Minister of Defence of Royal Netherlands Government: A. C. (1943), p. 159, “… It is clear that the statutory provisions here in question involve a peculiar interference with the freedom of a person resident in this country. He may under them be subjected to a special jurisdiction, no doubt similar to that to which a person subject to military law is subject, but vitally different in that he is subjected to a foreign jurisdiction and code of law, that of the Dutch Government enforcing its military law. There is, therefore, introduced a species of extraterritorial jurisdiction, however limited, and the Dutch service courts are given jurisdiction to enforce their sentences. But this jurisdiction is only possible so far as it is authorized by the British legislature and can only be exercised in accordance with the statutory provisions referred to and subject to the conditions and safeguards specified by statute. In particular, the British court must be satisfied that the person in question is subject to Dutch military law and is, prima facie at least, an offender against that law. In these matters the British court has jurisdiction and the person concerned is entitled to exercise all the rights which British law affords to safeguard his legal liberty.”

66 44 & 45 Vic., c. 58.

67 Air Force (Constitution) Act, 1917, 7 & 8 Geo. 5, c. 51, see. 12.

68 29 & 30 Vic., c. 109.

69 S. R. & O., 1942, No. 1679.

70 S. R. & O., 1942, No. 2192.

71 51 & 52 Vic., c. 64.

72 Parl. Deb., Commons, Vol. 382, col. 924.

73 Schedule to S. R. & O., 1942, No. 966.

74 37 Geo. 3, c. 70. Extended to the Air Force under 7 & 8 Geo. 5, c. 51, sec. 13.

75 24 & 25 Geo. 5, c. 56.

76 S. R. & O., 1940, No. 1818 and 1941, No. 47.

77 S. R. & O., 1940, No. 1818.

78 5 Modern Law Review (1942), p. 258.

79 5 & 6 Geo. 6, c. 29.

80 August 22, 1940.

81 Czechoslovak Yearbook of International Law, loc. cit., p. 159; Pari. Deb., Commons, Vol. 364, pp. 1390 and 1403.

82 Subsection 11 of Regulation 45 F, supra, note 2.

83 In re Amand (1) (1941), 2 K. B. 239.

84 Sec. 5 [1] of the Allied Powers (War Service) Act, 1942.

85 S. R. & O., 1942, No. 2562.

86 Czechoslovak Yearbook of International Law, loc. cit., pp. 159–161.

87 Par. 4 of agreement of July 27, 1942.

88 First Schedule to S. R. & O., 1942, No. 2562.

89 S. R. & 0., 1943, No. 1320, of September 2,1943, superseding the order S. R. & 0., 1943, No. 169.

90 4 & 5 Geo. 6, c. 7.

91 Supra at note 65.

92 But see Subs. 9 of Regulation 45F; supra, note 2.

93 Sir Walter Greaves-Lord, Pari. Deb., Commons, Vol. 270, col. 1084 (November 15, 1932).

94 Ibid., col. 1086.

95 Mr.Cooper, Duff, ibid. , col. 1090 Google Scholar.