The Washington herald., 1921-03-17
REPLIES TO EDITORIAL ON
METRIC SYSTEM.

To the Editor The Washington Herald.
1 have become attracted to The
Herald because of its apparent de-
sire to present facts instead of fic-
ton, and to promote nationalism
instead of partisanism.
You have recently published ex-
cerpts from the reports Of the U. S.
Geological Survey, the Bureau of
Mines. and the annual report of the
secretary of the American Petrole-
um Institute regarding the petrole-
um resources of the world. You
apparently have not. however. Ia
miliarized yourself with the pub
lished details of the United States
British controversy over the oil re-
sources of the Near East, particu-
larly Mesopotamia, for otherwise
you could not have uttered the edi-
torial entitled An Oil Bubble.
which appeared in today's issue OF
your paper.
II YOU will refer to Secretary
Colbys note OF November 20 last
to Earl Curzon you will hnd the
following:
This government has noted in
InlE connection
of His Majestys Minister in Charge
of Petroleum Affairs to the effect
that the San Reno agreement was
based on the principle that the con-
cessions granted by the former
Turkish government must be hon
orsd. II would be reluctant to as
sumo that His Majesty's govern
ment has already undertaken to
pass judgment upon the validity Of
concessionary claims in the regions
concerned, and to concede validity
to certain of those claims which
cover. apparently, the entire Meso-
potamian area. Indeed this govern
ment understands your note to deny
having taken. and to deny the IN
tention to take. any such eX parte
and premature action. In this con-
nection / might observe that such
information as this government has
received indicates that, prior to the
war, the Turkish Petroleum Com
pany, to make specific reference,
possessed in Mesopotamia no rights
to petroleum concessions or to the
exploitation of Oil: and in view OF
your assurance that II Is not the
intention of the mandatory power
to establish on its own behalf any
kind of monopoly, i am at some
loss to understand how to .construe
the provision of the San Keno
agreement that any private petrole-
um company which may develop the
Mesopotamian oil fields shall be
under permanent British control"
Surely sir. you cannot doubt that
our State Department has more
complete information regarding the
facts of the matter under dispute
than have you or I, nor oan you
hope to successfully challenge the
statements of the Geological Survey
and the Bureau Of Mines that our
petroleum resources are measurably
nearing early exhaustion. or at least
entire insufficiency.
II, therefore. government figures
and statements are credited with
the nearest approach to the facts
which the nature of the subject al
lows, and even IL We realize that
they will ultimately prove some
what wide of the limits which time
alone can establish, Is it wise to
confuse the public mind with state
ments such as, to quote your own
| words. There have been such
things known before as oil bub-
bles. but there has been none quite
SO iridescent and wholly empty as
| this one so prolifically used as anti
British propaganda"
There are many of US keenly
alive to the desirability, or even the
necessity. OF preserving Anglo
American friendship, but that i'm
poses no obligation upon us to sub
NIT without strong protest to the
British attempt to take advantage
Of her present strategic position by
| endeavoring to uphold forfeited
concessions. by repudiating writer
| and official communications. and by
otherwise taking advantage of the
political embarassments of an ally
who fought with her for the free
| dom of the world.
Such editorials as the one take
exception to are. SIR. in effect. the
most insidious kind of British
propaganda. the net result of which
] will be to confuse the public mind,
and ultimately to weaken the sup