The replacement annex prompts a comparison of which national workarounds the treaty actually closed. In this interpretation, it removed more room for manoeuvre from the American and Japanese Pacific fleets than from Britain, even if their negotiators did not immediately grasp the effect. Britain's concession was to reduce construction for foreign customers whose ships it might retain if those customers went to war with Britain. The discussion says Britain returned to that practice when the Second World War began. Identical treaty language could therefore carry unequal strategic costs for navies with different industries, geographies, and construction habits.
Notable Point · 8:46-10:07
Which naval treaty loopholes were closed
The detailed rules are interpreted as restricting American and Japanese options more than British ones, while curbing Britain's practice of building foreign warships it might retain in wartime.