Because of the conflict between Britain and Russia, the conference remained deadlocked for nearly half a month.
But in the end, on February 2, 1937, the "Straits of Constantinople Convention" was freshly drafted, and under the witness of numerous media outlets, representatives from the eight nations formally signed it.
This convention, reached through mutual compromise between Britain and Russia, was not particularly one-sided.
According to the Straits Convention, during wartime, if Turkey remained a nonbelligerent, warships from all participating nations would be prohibited from entering the Strait of Constantinople.
At the same time, all nations were to send representatives to administer the Strait of Constantinople, prohibiting civilian vessels over ten thousand tons from any country from passing through it.
If Turkey entered the war, it could manage the Strait of Constantinople itself, and no other nation would have the right to interfere.
Judging from the wording alone, the arrangement was fairly equitable to all nations, and neither Britain nor Russia suffered any major loss.
In reality, however, Britain was still the clear beneficiary.
First of all, apart from the two neutral nations, Russia and Turkey, all the other countries were Britain's allies.
On the surface, having these countries station representatives at the Strait of Constantinople was meant to regulate the civilian vessels of all nations passing through it. In reality, it allowed them to monitor Britain's enemies—namely, the vessels of Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, and Romania.
Although civilian vessels under ten thousand tons were allowed to pass, their passage through the Strait of Constantinople would still be recorded. The Allied military bloc led by Britain, France, and Australasia would naturally receive the intelligence.
If it was confirmed that such civilian vessels were transporting scarce supplies needed by Germany and Italy, Britain, France, and Australasia could organize warships to attack them, disrupting