Private negotiations without stenographers or naval experts make individual responsibility for the London settlement difficult to reconstruct. Some participants later faced the wartime consequences of the agreements they had helped negotiate. The historical criticism here is that Washington, as the earlier and more familiar treaty, often receives blame for restrictions imposed later at London. Keeping the two settlements distinct makes it possible to examine which agreement constrained a particular response to changing international conditions.
Notable Point · 1:27:14-1:28:49
Distinguishing Washington from the later London restrictions
A criticism of treaty historiography separates Washington's provisions from later London restrictions and the difficulty of reconstructing private negotiations.