The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-23
MORE OIL FOR, AMERICA.
Admiral Chester Has Hopes OF a Sup
ply From Mesopotamia.

To THE NEW YORK HERALD: The keen
interest of he public in the now all inn
portant question of oil 10 burn. as shown
by your rece Il editorial articles on the
subject, leads me to send you criticism
OF some remarks made by w. c. Teagle
president of the Standard Oil Company
OF New Jersey. before the American
Petroleum Institute at its annual meet
ing in Washington. lie said:
On the other hand. many foreign Gov
ernments are deliberately placing obsta-
cles in the way OF those who would like
TO assist IN tho development of new
sources of supply.
You are all generally familiar with
the terms OF the San Reno agreement,
proposing a division of Mesopotamia and
other Near East territory between the
British and French. and the trlpartite
agreement entered into by Great Britain.
France and Italy defining the spheres
of influence IN Turkey. which Is sus-
ceptible OF diplomatic inquiry as TO it's
true meaning.
One OF the articles of agreement pro-
vided against any prejudice TO the
rights of nationals OF the non-signatory
Powers 10 the treaty to free access TO
the various areas for commercial and
economic purposes Another article in
the same agreement appears TO nullify the
principles OF the open door policy. for It
Is Subject to the reservations contained
IN the treaty OF peace with Turkey. or
which have been voluntarily accepted for
themselves in the present agreement by
contracting Powers"
The speaker seems to ignore the fact
that so-called spheres of influence such
as he mentioned are not based on legal
postulates and are not binding on any
one exc ut the con >racting parties. Such
arbitrary commercial divisions referred
to in the tripartite agreement recently
entered into by Great Britain. France
and Italy in Turkey have been policies
OF Governments from time immemorial.
They exist to-day in the\ Far East, and
now the Near East is also being divided
in-o trade districts of a similar charac-
ter, but II is simply the game of catch
as catch can.
No one has ever pretended that the
spheres of influence established by the
Powers in the Far East alter treaty
tions, known under the general heading
OF the open door policies established by
John Hay. any more than the contracts
entered into between commercial bodies
change the laws of the United States.
The early bird catches the worm in bust
ness as we'll as in the animal kingdom,
and while our countrymen have been
minding their own business at home in
the past. needless OF the necessary prep
arations for the commercial war now
thrust upon US, although repeatedly
warned to do so by Government au-
thorities, who foresaw the storm coming.
foreigners have gathered nearly all the
worms
AS far as the San Reno agreement
is concerned. that measure is entirely
subordinate to the article of agreement
which provides against any prejudice to
the rights of nationals Of non-signatory
Powers to the treaty to free access to
the various areas for commercial and
economic purposes" for that is a
treaty stipulation, not a gentleme~ s
agreement.
Sir Aucklanr Geddes, the British Am
bassador 20 the United States. has fire.
AuNi4llS dtllipilsllaltU u
bodies in this country that 1t was a well
established British policy to maintain
the open door in the Near East, and l
happen to know that the American Gov
eminent has recently been informed. with
reference to an early bird American syn
dictate that established a claim for oil
in Turkey ten years ago and was
estopped from prosecuting the claim by
the breaking out of the world war in
1914, that no obstacles would be offered
by his Majesty's Government to the
American development of oil lands in
Mesopotamia, except to insist that a roy
atty on the products should be paid to
the administrators OF the country to
help carry on the Government, which OF
course goes without saying.
Let us be just before we are critical
c. NJ. CHESTER,
Rear Admiral u. S. n.
WASHINGTON, November 20.