Why words like designed and intended create diplomatic latitude

Diplomatic wording can leave signatories room to tolerate conduct they would otherwise need to confront. Terms such as designed and intended state a purpose without proving the limits of a vessel's physical capabilities. The London Treaty example imagines an auxiliary with minelaying fittings that could later accept torpedo tubes. Boiler limiters could hold its peacetime speed down until war. The British sloop example concerns limiters removed in wartime. Such latitude gives governments an argument for overlooking a disputed practice while maintaining an agreement. The interpretation links engineering opportunities to a political wish to avoid confrontation.