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to be rendered, shall be determined jointly by the respective 

 competent authorities of the two contracting parties. 



ARTICLE 4. Provided that neither high contracting party 

 shall regard itself bound by Article 2 of the present Convention in 

 respect of rendering armed assistance to its ally so long as it has 

 not been given guarantees by its allies that they, too, will render 

 such assistance to it as would correspond to the seriousness of the 

 impending conflict. 



ARTICLE 5. The present Convention enters into force as 

 from the moment of its signature, and shall remain in force until 

 July 14, 1921. Should one of the high contracting parties not 

 deem it necessary, twelve months before the expiry of this term, 

 to give notice of its unwillingness to prolong the validity of the 

 present Convention, the latter shall remain in force for a period of 

 one year after it has been denounced by one or the other of the 

 high contracting parties. 



ARTICLE 6. The present Convention shall be kept in complete 

 secrecy from everybody except the two high contracting parties. 



In witness whereof the undersigned have confirmed the 

 present instrument by hand and seal at Petrograd, July 3, 1918, 

 corresponding to the Japanese date of Thursday, seventh month 

 and fifth year in the reign of Taise. 



(Signed) SAZONOFF, MOTONO. 

 (Manchester Guardian, February 1, 1918.) 



The Address of the Author is 6, Erskine Hill, Golder's Green, London, N.W. 

 Printed and Published by The National Labour Press, Ltd., 30, Blackfriars Street, 

 Manchester ; and at London. 25425 



