Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1920-11-26
Britain Is
Called In
OlilDispute
President Wilson Brings Con-
,roversy to Head by Demand
ing England Drop Stand of
Disregarding IT, S.
Colby Note Made Public
By ARTHUR SEARS HENNING
Chicago Tribune Omaha Bee leased Wire.

Chicago Tribune Omaha Bee LEASED Wire,
Washington, Nov. 25.--President
Wilson suddenly has brought the
oil dispute with Great Britain to a
head by calling upon London to
back down from its attitude of dis
regarding the United States in shap-
ing the terms of the British mandate
to govern Mesopotamia and Pales-
tine.
This was disclosed when the state
department made public tonight Sec
retary Colby's latest rcjoinder tc
England in the controversy over the
possible exclusion OF Americans
from oil development in Mesopota,
mia under the terms of the San
Reno agreement between France
and Great Bitain of Joint exploita.
ton of oil resources.
More wonders of the peace treaties
and the league of nations covenant
are revealed by the Colby note and
the glimpses it affords of the Brit
ish notes which have not been made
public. The correspondence illum.
mates the whole tragedy of the
course of Mr.. Wilson in proposing
and approving a league plan Of the
ultimate rejection of which by the
American people he had been i'm
pressively warned.
Demands Terms Of Mandate.
Great Britain has informed Uni
ted States that the Mesopotamia
and the Palestine mandates will be
approved by the interested allied
nations and evidently does not re-
gard America as an interested pow
er, possibly because the United
States was not at war with Turkey,
of which these territories formerly
were part.
Mr.. Colby takes emphatic excep-
ton to this view and calling for a
showdown with England on this
point, enunciates this pointed re-
quest:
"The United States is undoubtedly
one of the powers directly interested
in the terms of the mandates. and I
therefore request that this draft
mandate be communicated to this
government for it's consideration be-
fore the submission to the council
of the league"
The next move is up to Great
Britain. II London yields the point
the way may be opened to speedy
settlement of the oil controversy. If
England remains obdurate and the
exclusion Of American oil concerns
from Mesopotamia ensues, the row
may reach the retaliatory stage of
exclusion OF British oil interests
from the United States.
Holds for "Open Door,"
Mr.. Colby contends for the 'open
door" for industrial enterprises in
Mesopotamia, asserting that the fu-
ture peace of the world depends to
an important extent, upon the pres
ervation of equal commercial oppor-
tunity for "the citizens of all ma
tions," in the territory taken from
the central powers by the victorious
allies.
1t appears, however, that the Viii
son covenant does not guarantee
such equal opportunity to all ma
tons, but only to members of the
league" The United States is not
member of the league, and thus Is
outside the pale of the guarantee.
Great Britain stands on the Viii
son covenant and contents itself
with the assurance that the terms OF
the Mesopotamia and Palestine man
dates are being prepared with view
to securing the open door for all
states which are members of the
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