The Washington herald., 1921-03-23
Harding Cabinet Assured
That U. s. Can Have
Equal Rights.
HUGHES DESCRIBES
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Secretaries Discuss Pol
icy of Administration
On State Affairs.
By ARTHUR SEARS HENNING.

Removal of an important obstacle
to the settlement to the controversy
between the United States'an Great
Britain over the Mesopotamien man
date, involving specifically oil ex-
ploitation rights, was disclosed yes
terday in connection with a discus
sion of foreign relations by Presi-
dent Harding and his Cabinet.
Great Britain has brought about
the inclusion in the mandate terms
OF a provision according Americans
the same commercial and industrial
opportunities In Mesopotamia as are
enjoyed by the nationals of states
which are members of the league
Of nations.
Surveys Questions.
Secretary of State Hughes survey
ed pending international questions
for the information of the members
of the Cabinet. and Secretary Of
Commerce Hoover initiated a dis
cussion of commercial relations
with Russia and such new states as
Czecho- -Slovakia, Poland and Jugo-
Slav.a.
The question of the peace pro-
gram and the league of nations was
not taken up, and no decisions were
reached as to policies in connection
with the other International mat
ters discussed. the Presidebt desir-
ing Mr.. Hughes merely to lay the
ground work for future considera-
tion of definite problems.
Mandate Questions.
One of these definite questions will
,flt tass
to discuss with the league of nations
council the terms of the mandates
assigned to allied powers for the
government of former territories Of
the central powers. The council has
invited the United States to present
its objections in this manner to the
class A and class mandates before
they are passed upon by the council.
The allies take the position that
there never would have been a con-
troversy over, mandates with the
United States had the wilson af-
ministration elected to discuss the
matter informally. Instead, Secre-
tary of state Colby chose to open a
formal controversy with Great Brit
ain in an exchange of notes with
attendant publicity productive o'
political capital from vigorous
twisting of the lions tail.
Defenders of Colby. X
On the other hand, defenders of
former Secretary Colby assert he
had failed in informal discussions
with the British Embassy to obtain
any indication that Great Britain
was disposed to concede the open
door in Mesopotamia to American
oil development and in consequences
thereof addressed a formal protest
to the British foreign office against
the exclusion of Americans from
equal rights in a. territory in which
IL possesses an inalienable undi-
vided one-fifth interest by virtue of
it's contribution to the defeat of the
Central Powers.
In any event the administration
now has been informed that the
open door for American enterprise
is specifically guaranteed by a pro-
vision of the mandate terms sub
mitted to the league of nations
council. The provision did not ap-
pear in the text of the mandate
published in this country and In
England carly In February.
Advice Of Geddes.
The inference is that the Ameri-
can door provision was inserted In
the draft mandate at a later date
and it is not unlikely that II was
done at the instance of Sir Auek-
CONTINUED on PAGE TWO.