A famed negotiator, CNO ADM William V. Pratt played a major role in the Washington Naval Treaty (1922) and London Naval Treaty (1930).
The MacArthur-Pratt Agreement is taken from:
U. S. Congress. Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the Third Session of the Seventy-First Congress of the United States of America 74, Pt. 2 (20 December 1930 – 15 January 1931). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1931: 2180-2181.
These papers have been reproduced as originally written, with spelling corrections and editorial additions highlighted and bracketed in blue. If you find any errors in my transcription, please do not hesitate to contact me.
At a conference between the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Pratt, and the Chief of Staff of the Army, General MacArthur, an agreement of far-reaching importance was consummated governing the operations of Army and Navy air force during peace. Basing their conclusions on those fundamental principles of national defense, which should properly govern both services, the agreement reached leaches the air forces of each free to develop within well-defined limits and each with a separate and distinct mission.
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The naval air force will be based on the fleet and move with it as an important element in solving the primary missions confronting the fleet. The Army air forces will be land-based and employed as an essential element to the Army in the performance of its mission to defend the coasts at home and in our overseas possessions, thus assuring the fleet absolute freedom of action without any responsibility for coast defense.
Up to this time no satisfactory line of demarcation had been evolved, the discussions have resulted in a clearer evaluation of the fundamental principles involved in the use of the air weapon. The present agreement is being heralded as the beginning of the closest cooperation that has ever existed between the two great branches of our national defense. It is, therefore, welcomed with acclaim by the personnel of both the Army and the Navy.