Political Quotes

Thomas Erskine Holland: “It would be calamitous should a practice be introduced of attempting to cure the imperfect expression of a treaty by…”

On the record
It would be calamitous should a practice be introduced of attempting to cure the imperfect expression of a treaty by tacking on to it an equally authoritative reasoned commentary, likely, as in the present case, to be enormously longer than the test to which it relates.
Said by
Thomas Erskine Holland

Editor's note · Context

Holland warns against the dangers of adding commentary to treaties, which could complicate their interpretation.

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