The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-12
VANDERBILT TELLS
OF HIS CONQ(ESTS
Is Back From Russia Ready
to Carry Out Contracts of
$3,000,00O,OO0.
JAPAN ONLY DRAWBACK
&. S. Must Back Him or He
VIII Sell Concessions
to British.

For more than an hour Yesterday
Washington d. vanderIip talked to
| reporters in the lounge of the Cunard
liner Aquitania on which he returned
to America. He Is the man who as he
put 1t yesterday. went TO Moscow on
fishing trip and comes back with a
contract to furnish the Soviet republic
with $3o00,000,000 worth of every
! thing from slippers and, typewriters
to ocean liners and grain elevators
and another contract that gives him
| and his associates the oil. coal and
fish concessions in virgin tract of
100000 square miles OF northeastern
| Siberia
His story of his dicker with Nicolai
Lenine and the Soviet counsellors is
a remarkable narrative, but not more
so than his story of himself-who he
Is, where -he comes from. where he
has been and what he has done since
he was born fifty-three years age i'm
Elkhart. Ind
Briefly. he proposes to start filling
his $4,000, 100000 bill of goods the
moment the United States resumey
trade relations with Russia He is the
fiscal agent Of Lenine, he SAYS. He
can satisfy the great manufacturers
that their products will be paid for In
gold and the natural products of Rus
sia--or so he says. Moscow. he insists.
is to-day like "a Sunday afternoon In
June on the banks OF the Wabash"
and growing quieter every hour
Sees Japan as Menace.
But he confesses that he's worried
| about his concessions. He says that
these lands. given him and his syndi
cate to exploit Ga tract east OF the
l6Oth meridian and inclusive OF Kam-
chatka). are at the mercy OF Japan:
that Japan insists upon remaining in
Kamchatka and that there IS but the
most remote chance OF Russia being
able to oust the japanese. Backed by
the United States Government. ne
says, he can work his concessions. but
without such support he can do moth
ing except sell out TO British bankers.
Mr.. Vanderlip Is of medium stature.
but with width of shoulder and loose
ness Of limb that suggests great physi-
cal strength lie Is quite bald on top
and the surviving hair is coarse and
| iron gray. He has an incisve manner
and with nice respect for the common
rules Of English. he seldom raises or
lowers his voice. but tells what he has
10 say in n cold, Unconditional manner
That he has a clear, nicely ordered
mind is TO be seen in his logical way
OF placing facts In their proper sequence
and refusing TO be shunted from any
| one subject until he has discussed it as
much as he desires.
He has the complexion of the rural
| Englishmau ruddy cheeks, finely
velned His forehead is high and puck
cred his eyes brown. darting and rather
close together. His face IL narrow and
severely but singularly unlined for a
man who has seen so much and roughed
Il as ne gays be has. His nose has the
! high bridge OF the patrician and the
slight hook supposed to denote agrees
siveness. His mouth is small and thin
| Tipped his Jaws tight and muscular and
/ his chin narrow and squared off His
eyes. possibly because Of their alert
ness. command attention. They are
/ lashless and rather hard. He dresses
nicely and affects no iewelry. He was
one Of the very few cabin passengers
who sported no fur overcoat
Hands of Brain worker.
The third finger OF HIS left hand Is
missing--lost he explains. IN Texas
I thirty years ago. But his hands are
those OF the brain worker rather than 81
the rough and tumble prospector such
as he paints himself There's nothing
OF the popular conception Of the pro-
fessional promoter about him. lie might
bo a teller IN bank. or n prosperous
cotton goods merchant, or even a gentle
man farmer FOR all Of his physical APP
pearance He carried no walking stick
and didn't wear spats. From his shoes
20 his gray English soft hat ne was WELL
but most unostentatously. clad.
nm a mining engineer. by profess
sion" he said I've never done any
thing for years except poke around In
out of the way places looking for oil and
gold and coal and the like. And I've
always done u for other people--wealthv
individuals and rich syndicatcs This Il
the Arst time I'VE gone after anything
on my own hook In my life AT least. tho
frst big thing. and after all I'm only a
member OF a syndicate.
~ tremendous hullabaloo has been
raised about me and my contracts with
tho Soviet republic Lord. but I've been
set upon by reporters and jeered at and
sneered at and instead Of being at nh
Continued on S,cJfd po0c
/ ....----.