Treaties and International Agreements

Jonsson Library of Government Documents

Guide to Government Publications Series

• Introduction
• Full Text Treaty Sources on the Internet
• Treaties to which the United States is a Party
  • recent or pending treaties
  • official publication
  • early United States treaties
• Treaties to which the United States is not a Party
• Indexes and Finding Aids
  • United States treaty collections
  • international treaties
• Additional Information
• Abbreviations
• About this Page

International agreements entered into by two or more states are frequently described as "treaties". Other terms used to describe multilateral international agreements include convention, agreement, pact, accord, protocol, final act, general act, and declaration. They may be bilateral or multilateral. Executive agreements are agreements made between the President and the executive of another country that do not require Senate approval.

Information on treaties and international agreements can be found in several sources depending upon the nature of the treaty (date, number of parties, whether or not the United States is a party). The following guide to treaty research at Stanford describes the most important treaty sources in both the Jonsson and Law Libraries, as well as online resources available via Folio and the Internet.

• General Treaty Sources
  • United Nations Treaty Database
  • Multilaterals Project at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy

• Specialized Treaty Sources
  • International Trade Laws, Treaties, Instruments...(University of Tromso)
  • DIANA: An International Human Rights Database
  • Policy Instruments Database

TREATIES TO WHICH THE UNITED STATES IS A PARTY

• Recent or Pending Treaties (pre- ratification)

  1. Congressional Index (CCH)
  

  Government Documents.
  Volume one of this looseleaf set contains a section covering treaties pending before the Senate. The treaties are listed numerically and chronologically with a brief summary. References to Senate Treaty Documents, Senate Executive Reports, hearings, and ratifications are provided. Updated weekly, this index is one of the best sources for checking the status of pending U.S. treaties. The text of treaties transmitted to the Senate for its advice and consent are contained in Senate Treaty Documents, called Senate Executive Documents until the 97th Congress (1981). Accompanying messages from the President and the Secretary of State are included with the treaty text. Both of these sources are indexed in the Monthly Catalog of US Government Publications as well as the CIS Index. Senate Executive Reports are a valuable source for treaty interpretation. They are issued by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and contain the Committee's analysis and recommendations concerning proposed treaties and agreements. Senate Executive Reports are indexed in the Monthly Catalog and the CIS Index.

  2. US Department of State Dispatch.
  

  Government Documents S 1.3/5.
  This weekly publication continues the popular Department of State Bulletin (JX232.A28). It has a "treaty actions" section that appears every four to six weeks which provides status information on US bilateral and multilateral treaties. The Dispatch is a useful source for information on current treaty developments from negotiation to ratification and proclamation and subsequent treaty actions. The Dispatch will include semi-annual and annual indexes and is also indexed in PAIS, Reader's Guide to Periodicals and Current Law Index. It is available electronically on the quarterly publication US Foreign Affairs on CD-ROM.

  3. Hein's United States Treaties and Other International Agreements: Current Microfiche Service. 1990- .
  

  LAW Bibliographic Area XF443
  This service provides "full text of current unreleased international agreements and treaties...". Treaties are arranged by editor assigned "KAV" numbers. It has its own index in paper (LAW Bibliographic Area XF443 2) and microfiche. This service provides more timely publication of current treaties than TIAS.

• Official Publication

  4. Treaties and other International Acts Series (TIAS)
  

  Government Documents S 9.10:
  TIAS is a series of consecutively numbered, individually paginated pamphlets containing the text of treaties in the language of the parties. TIAS is the first official publication of U.S. treaties. They appear in this "slip" form and then eventually appear in bound volumes of the UST. TIAS continues the Treaty Series and the Executive Agreement Series. TIAS begins with pamphlet #1501. There is currently a long delay between the date of proclamation and publication in TIAS. TIAS is indexed by:

  • United States Current Treaty Index (Hein);
  • United States Treaty Index 1776-1990 Consolidation; and
  • Treaties In Force. (TIF) .

  5. United States Treaties and Other International Agreements. (UST) 1950-.
  

  Government Documents S 9.12:
  After appearing in slip form in TIAS, US treaties and agreements are published in this bound chronological set which began in 1950. Treaty texts are in English and the other official languages of the treaty. UST is indexed by:

  • United States Current Treaty Index (Hein);
  • United States Treaty Index 1776-1990 Consolidation;
  • Treaties In Force. (TIF) ;
  • United Nations Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary General ; and
  • Statement of Treaties and International Agreements Registered or Filed with the Secretariat

• Early U.S. Treaties

  6. United States Statutes At Large (STAT)
  

  Government Documents Reference AE 2.111 (Vols. prior to 98, 1984 have call no.:GS 4.111:).
  The text of all U.S. treaties from 1776 through 1950 appear in this chronologically arranged set. Volume 8 contains the text of all treaties from 1776-1845. From 1846 on, treaties were published in the sessional volumes. Executive agreements are included in volumes 47-64. Volume 64 part 3 includes a list of all treaties and agreements in volumes 1 - 64. The list is arranged by country and then by topic. Indian treaties were included through volume 16. After 1950 the official publication for U.S. treaties became UST. Indexes that cite to treaties in U.S. Statutes at Large include:

  • United States Current Treaty Index (Hein);
  • United States Treaty Index 1776-1990 Consolidation;
  • Treaties In Force. (TIF) ;
  • United Nations Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary General ; and
  • Statement of Treaties and International Agreements Registered or Filed with the Secretariat

  7. Treaties and Other International Agreements of the U.S.A. 1776-1949 (Bevans)
  

  Government Documents S 9.12/2:13
  This 13 volume set contains pre-UST treaties and agreements in English text only. Volumes 1-4 are multilateral treaties arranged chronologically; volumes 5-12 are bilateral treaties arranged by country; volume 13 is the index to the set. This set supersedes two earlier compilations by Malloy and Miller.

  8. Treaties, Conventions, International Acts, Protocols and Agreements Between the United States of America and Other Powers (Malloy)
  

  Government Documents JX236 1910

  Volumes 1-2 covering 1776-1909 were compiled by Malloy. Volume 3 covers 1910- 1923 and was compiled by Redmond. Volume 4 covers 1923- 1937 and was compiled by Trenwith. The set is cited as Malloy. Treaty texts are in English only and are annotated. Citations to treaties in the United States Statutes At Large (STAT) and the Treaty Series (TS) are provided. Volume 4 contains an index to the set, a list of treaties by date of proclamation and other useful tables and lists.

  9. Treaties and Other International Acts of the USA. (Miller)
  

  Government Documents Unclassified
  This set covers the period 1776-1836. Treaty text is in English and other official languages of each agreement. The texts are also annotated with citations to the United States Statutes At Large (STAT) and the Treaty Series (TS). There is no index to this set. Volume 1 provides some explanation on how the set is arranged.

  10. Treaty Series (TS)
  

  Government Documents S 9.5/2:
  Originally an unnumbered pamphlet series, the Treaty Series covers the 1800's to 1945. Until 1930 it included Executive agreements. Numbered pamphlets begin with no. 489 (1908) and continue through no. 994 (1945). The earlier unnumbered pamphlets are published in Bevans. TS was replaced by TIAS in 1945.

  11. Executive Agreement Series (EAS)
  

  Government Documents S 9.8:
  EAS contains the texts of international agreements from Oct. 1, 1929 to March 16, 1945. The series ended with no. 506. EAS was replaced by TIAS in 1945.

TREATIES TO WHICH THE US IS NOT A PARTY

12. International Legal Materials (ILM)

LAW Fn.CIP.XA
ILM is a bi-monthly publication that began in 1962. It provides timely access to current documents concerning international relations. The texts of official foreign and US international agreements and other documents are reprinted along with useful background notes. Each issue has its own index and each November issue contains an annual index. Cumulative indexes covering a range of years are published occasionally. Available electronically via Folio/Lexis.

13. United Nations Treaty Series (UNTS)

Government Documents ST/LEG/Treaties (shelved at Stanford Auxilliary Library)
This comprehensive treaty series began in 1946 and contains the text of all treaties registered or filed with the UN Secretariat by member states or international organizations and some filed by nonmember states. Texts are given in their official languages and in English and French. There is currently a significant delay in publication of treaties in UNTS. Under a 1978 Resolution the Secretariat may selectively exclude treaties of "limited interest" from publication in UNTS. They are however included in the UN's Statement of Treaties and International Agreements Registered or Filed with the Secretariat, and are marked by an asterisk. Indexes are provided every fifty volumes, however there is considerable delay in their publication. It is indexed in the electronic Index to United Nations Documents and Publications. The treaty texts themselves are stored at the Stanford Auxilliary Library.

14. League of Nations Treaty Series (LNTS)

Hoover Library
Contains treaties of the League's members registered with the League's Secretariat. English and French translations accompany reprints of the official texts. Each volume has its own index. Cumulative indexes covering 3 or more years each are also provided and are shelved in the Government Documents International section as ST/LEG/Treaties/Cum. LNTS is also indexed by: nos. 20,22,and 24.

15. Consolidated Treaty Series (CTS)

LAW FN.FCS ZQ
Coverage in this 243 volume set begins in 1648 and continues to 1920. Treaty text is reprinted in the language of one of the signatories and often accompanied by a French or English translation or summary. The set has a chronological list and party name index but no subject index. CTS is also indexed by nos. 20,22, and 24.

INDEXES AND FINDING AIDS

• US Treaty Collections

  For recent or pending United States treaties, consult the CCH Congressional Index (#1), the U.S. State Department's Weekly Dispatch (#2) , International Legal Materials (#12),and the Calendar of the United States House of Representatives and History of Legislation (J47 A3 Reading Room). The Calendar is published daily and cumulates each Congressional session and contains a complete status table for pending treaties.

  16. United States Current Treaty Index (Hein)
  

  LAW Bibliographic Area XF443
  This is the index to the Hein's United States Treaties and Other International Agreements Current Microfiche Service (#3). It updates Hein's, United States Treaty Index: 1776-1990 Consolidation (#16) below. It also merges two earlier Hein indexes: Current Treaty Index (JX231.K381) and United States International Treaties Today: Unpublished and Unnumbered Treaties Index (JX235.9.A35). The "Table of Contents" section lists treaties numerically by "KAV" numbers assigned to each treaty. Each entry provides a short description of the treaty and other useful information such as pertinent dates. There is also a subject index.

  17. United States Treaty Index 1776-1990 Consolidation
  

  Law Reference FN FUV RGc
  Convenient and thorough access to US treaties from 1776- 1990.

  18. Treaties In Force. (TIF)
  

  Government Documents S 9.14:(latest in Gov Ref)
  Issued annually by the US State Department this index lists US treaties and agreements in force as of January 1 of each year. Arranged in two parts, the first part lists bilateral treaties by country and then by subject; the second part lists multilaies by subject and indicates the parties. TIF can be updated by checking the "treaty actions" section that appears every 4-6 weeks in the U.S. Department of State Dispatch (#2).

• International Treaties

  For recent or pending international treaties, use International Legal Materials (#12) Law Lib. KJ5.A99sil. ILM has its own index in each issue and an annual issue in each November issue. ILM is also indexed in PAIS (Moffitt, General Reference and several other library locations) and in Current Law Index (available in paper and CD-ROM at the Law Lib.).

  19. Multilateral Treaties: Index and Current Status
  

  Government Documents Reference JX 171 M8
  This is one of the most comprehensive and current indexes for multilateral treaties. The main index volume has a chronological list of treaties with entries that give detailed status and other valuable information. The main index volume also features a subject index and keyword index. The supplement is arranged in two parts. Part A is a chronological list of new treaties with full entries. Part B provides updated status and other information treaties already in the main volume.

  20. United Nations Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary General
  

  Government Documents International ST/LEG/SER.E/
  

  (latest in Government Documents Reference)
  This annual UN publication continues an earlier publication titled Multilateral Treaties in Respect of Which the Secretary- General Performs Depository Function. It provides information on the status of treaties deposited with the UN Secretary- General. Information on treaties deposited with the League of Nations that were transferred to the custody of the UN are covered as well as pre-UN agreements that were amended by UN protocols. The full text of any reservations and declarations are conveniently reprinted. Citations to treaty text in UNTS (#13) or the UN document citation are given. Entries are arranged in subject categories and then listed chronologically. This index is supplemented by Statement of Treaties and International Agreements (#23), a monthly UN publication. The latest edition of Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary- General is now available as part of the United Nations Treaty Database.

  21. Index to Multilateral Treaties
  

  JX171 H35 Government Documents Reference
  This is one of the best indexes for finding obscure historical treaties, amendments and drafts. It consists of a chronological list of multilateral treaties from 1596 through 1963. The entries provide citations to the text in a variety of language sources. A subject and regional index are also provided.

  22. Statement of Treaties and International Agreements Registered or Filed with the Secretariat
  

  Government Documents International ST/LEG/SER.A/
  This monthly UN publication serves as a supplement to Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General (#20). It is the only published listing of all bilateral and multilateral treaties registered or filed with the UN Secretariat. It provides information in English and French concerning original treaties and agreements. It also provides information such as ratifications, accessions and subsequent agreements concerning treaties and agreements already registered or filed with the Secretariat. Each issue has a cumulative subject index and numerical index, (by registration or filing and recording numbers). A major problem with this index is that there is a substantial delay in publication. Therefore it is not a useful source of current information. It is also not as comprehensive as some other indexes because it is based on the submissions of member states.

  23. United Nations Master Treaty Index on CD-ROM
  

  Government Documents Text Retrieval Workstation
  Semiannual publication providing cumulative indexing to the United Nations Treaty Series (no.13). The latest edition covers treaties issued between 1976-1987. Allows searching by: treaty name; countries and organizations that are parties; dates; descriptive text; Kavass subject; etc.

  24. World Treaty Index
  

  Government Documents Reference JX171.R63 1983
  This is a comprehensive multivolume index to multilateral and bilateral treaties from 1900 to 1980. Citations to treaty texts appearing in LNTS, UNTS and numerous other sources are provided. Volume 1 (Reference Volume) has a helpful "User's Guide" on page 12 of the introduction. A sample entry is reproduced with an explanation of the various categories of information provided. The abbreviations used in the entries are listed and explained in the Thesaurus in volume 1. Volume 2 and 3 contain the main entries in chronological order by date of signature. Volume 4 is an extensive party index arranged in alphabetical order. Volume 5 is a keyword index.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SOURCES

• U.S. Dept. of State, Office of Treaty Affairs.
  (202) 647-1345

• UN Office of Treaty Affairs:
  • Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the UN Secretary-General
    (212) 963-3918

  • Treaties not deposited with the Secretary- General but with a Government or Organization.
    (212) 963-7833

• Guides to Treaty Research:
  

  Cohen, Morris L., Robert C. Berring and Kent C. Olson. How to Find the Law. 9th ed. 1989. See chapter 15 "International Law" for a good detailed discussion of treaty research including treaty interpretation.

  Jacobstein, Myron J. and Roy M. Mersky. Fundamentals of Legal Research. 5th ed. (199). See chapter 20 "International Law" for a good discussion of treaty research sources.

  Zwrin, Jerrold. Congressional Publications. 1983. JK1067.Z851 1983 Ready Ref. See chapter 11 "United States Treaties" for a good detailed discussion of the treaty making process. Figure 15 on page 160 is a good outline of the "Key Steps and Decision Points in the Life of a Treaty".

  "Post-World War II Treaty Research Sources, Finding Tools and Status Information Sources", Debora Cheney, Government Publications Review, Vol. 12, pp. 1-23, 1985. A bit dated but still a good discussion of the sources covered. Many of the specialized subject sources listed in section IV above are discussed in more detail in this article.

  "Research tips in International Law", John W. Williams, George Washington Journal of International Law and Economics, vol. 20, pp. 1- 403, 1986.

  "Researching treaty information: an annotated guide to key reference sources", Miller, RQ, vol. 25, pp. 204, 1985.

ABBREVIATIONS AND COMMON TERMS

Listed below are some of the commonly used abbreviations. Click on the item to move to see the full bibliographic description.

• Bevans
• CTS
• EAS
• ILM
• KAV
• LNTS
• Malloy
• Miller
• Redmond
• Stat.
• TIAS
• TIF
• TS
• Trenwith
• UNTS
• UST

ABOUT THIS PAGE

This page is based on a guide written in 1991 by Vic Garzas during an internship at the Government Documents Library of the University of California Main Library in Berkeley. It has been revised and adapted by Chuck Eckman. Please send comments on this version to:

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last modified August 4, 1997