A treaty is an agreement or contract made between two or more sovereign states. Treaties are made by the executive department of the government. In the United States, before a treaty becomes effective, it must be ratified by the upper branch of the legislative department. Either party to a treaty has the power, if not the right, to rescind a treaty at any time. The only means of redress open to the injured party in such a case is by a declaration of war.

"Treaties have been variously classified, but the classifications serve no great purpose. The most common classification is clearly set forth by Calvo. As regards form, treaties may be, (1) transitory, or (2) permanent or perpetual; as regards nature, (1) personal, relating to the sovereign, or (2) real, relating to things and not dependent on the sovereign personal; as regards effects, (1) equal, or (2) unequal, or according to other effects simple or conditional, definitive or preliminary, principal or accessory, etc.; as regards objects, (1) general, or (2) special. In a narrower sense treaties may be divided into many classes, as political, economic, guarantee, surety, neutrality, alliance, friendship, boundary, cession, exchange, jurisdiction, extradition, commerce, navigation, peace, etc., and conventions relating to property of various kinds, including literary and artistic, to post and telegraph, etc. Most of these classes are sufficiently described by their titles." 8

7 Wilson and Tucker on International Law, Sec. 80.