Evening star., 1921-06-16
Ambassador Shown to Have
Correctly Stated Policy
of Government.
SUPREME COUNCIL ONLY
MEANS OF NEGOTIATION
Purpose of Administration Is to
: Develop Association of Nations
Through That Body.
by DAVID LAWRENCE.


The United States government has
no intention of sending a representa-
tive, even unofficially. to discuss with
the council of the league of nations
the matter Of mandates.
This may be unpleasant news to
those who have had a lingering hope
that the mandate question would
serve as a bridge over which the
Harding administration could conven-
iently reach the council of the league
without Embarrassment, but it Is new
ertheless the truth.
The invitation sent by the council
of the league to Secretary Colby to
send a representative, to discuss man
dates was purposely left unanswered
so that the Harding administration
might be free to do as it pleased with
the request. Paris dispatches in the
last few days have sought informally
to remind the American government
that the invitation is still unanswered.
In the same informal way the word
goes out that the Harding administra-
ton does not anticipate the necessity
Of sending any representative. official
or unofficial, to the next meeting OF
the council.
In Supreme COuneiL
So far as mandates are concerned.
the United States has a means of
communication with all the powers
through the supreme council. which
is attended by Ambassador George
Harvey as the personal representa-
tive Of the President OF the United
States
Although the American ambassador
has made one or two errors OF speech
which he himself attributes to in
experience as diplomat, and. al
though Secretary Hughes and Presi-
dent Harding have both felt 1t neces-
sary to define. Americas purposes IN
entering the war as unselfish instead
of selfish the iact Is ga mh !. charee5 eS
with the responsibility Of negotlat-
ing all the delicate questions which
America may want discussed Win
the great powers.
Those who have had chance to
rsad the Harvey cablegrsms from
abroad say they are characteristicR1.
~ direct and to the point. and that
he is following carefully the fnstfHc
tions of the Department OF State. IN
deed sssnsta9S the notes ausnes 1I 10 American
diplomats abroad are themselves go
nrecise and definite that there Is no
room for misunderstanding.
statement CONFIRMED.
Ambassador Harvey made the state
ment that the United States would not
have anything to do with the league
or any of it's committees. directly or
Indirectly. This was doubted at the
time hut it turns out that he had an
accurate idea of Harding administra-
fion policy. Even the Root plan for
an international court of justice.
which is the offspring of committee
of the league of nations. is not to be
accepted unless it is completely
separated from the machinery OF the
league.
The determination to steer clear of
the league of nations and deal only
with the supreme council is growing
stronger in administration quarters.
especially because the President is
becoming convinced that there is no
real task which cannot be as directly
handled in the supreme council as in
the parallel organization of the
league of nations, namely the council.
After the next few meetings of the
supreme council it would not be sur
prising to find President Harding
openly commencing that body as an
effective medium for international in
tercourse and urging its use as
nucleus for a greater association of
nations which shall differ from the
present league of nations in that it
shall have nothing to do with the en-
forcement of the treaty Of Versailles
or any other treaty.
One Step Mt a Time.
Already Mr.. Harding is using the
supreme council to get at the attitude
of the powers on the disarmament
question, and just as soon as the YER
sailles treaty can be redrafted SO as
to eliminate certain clauses in which
the United States is not interested the
move for an association of nations
will be begun. One thing has devel-
oped clearly in the last few days-it
is that the Harding administration
does not intend to rush precipitately
into treaty-making or anything else,
but will take one step at a time.
The passage Of the Knox-Porter
resolution declaring the state of war
at an end is the first stage of the
journey. Next comes the revision or
modification of the Versailles treaty
so that the American Senate can ratify
it, and thus peace with Germany be
made and diplomatic relations estab-
lished. After that comes the making
of an association of nations.
It is a matter of months-and per-
haps a year-before the question of
what kind of legaue shall be formed
will come up. Meanwhile the Euro
peans themselves will have their own
league, and eventually the problem as
to whether one or the other will go out
of business or the two shall be merged
will become as natural as the problem
of merging two street car companies
in the same town running on parallel
tracks. That's the outlook for foreign
policy under the Harding administra-