American war debts were weaker treaty leverage than feared

Could the United States force British agreement at Washington by demanding immediate repayment of war debts?

Not cleanly: legal limits, alternative British finance, and the risk of global disruption made such a threat far less decisive than alarmists claimed.

A creditor could not simply call in all future interest without a contractual basis, and Britain could seek replacement finance from domestic or imperial institutions. Immediate repayment normally required grounds such as a credible fear that the borrower would soon be unable to pay, a difficult claim to establish against a state. An aggressive American demand might provoke default, create a powerful political enemy, and damage a global financial system still centered heavily on Britain. Debt pressure was therefore part of the treaty negotiation rather than an unlimited American veto over British naval policy.