New-York tribune., 1921-02-23


sentcd to that body when it meets at
10:30 o'clock tomorrow morning. A
letter from Ambassador Wallace this
morning, announcing to members of the
! Council that q note had been dis
patched from Washington on the sub
ject Of mandates and requesting az
opportunity to present Americas point
of view before final decisions were
reached, awakened widespread interest.
American Delegate Opposed
A proposal was Immediately made
that as the United States appeared 20
be exercised on the question Of man
dates, an American delegate should be
sion. This suggestion was strongly op-
posed by some. members of the Couacl
on the ground that the league already
hnd been too inclined to grant q priv
legged position to the United States
and that this policy should be discon-
tinued. TIE league did reply to AM
b&asador Wallace, however, that it
would make no definite decisions con-
corning the mandates now under dis
cussion-those of Glass (Asia Minor}
and Class 3 Central Africa - until
after The receipt of President Wilson's
communication.
This is the first occasion on which the
League of Nations has received direct
communication from its spiritual pa
rent. The note covers seven and one
half typewriter pages and is under
stood TO be accompanied by copy Of
Secretary of State Colby's unanswered
note to GSeat Britain relative to OF
concessions in Mesopotamia. The Pres
ident's communication begins with .
general statement of Americas position
on the subject of mandates and then
goes into detail regarding Americas
contentious against the leagues dis
position of the Island of Yap.
A formidabla Far Eastern group in
the league Council is awaiting the con
tents Of the American note with pc
ileged to enter the leagues secret coun-
Gil chamber say that the meetings
there appear to be dominated by the
Far Eastern element. Although China
and Japan make up only one~fourth Of
the Council, they bring in so many sec
retaries and experts with them that
they appear to swamp tie Europeans.
Letter Arrives Oppc rtunely
Ambassador Wallace's letter arrived
Just as the Council was about to begin
the consideration of mandates. Wis
count lshii, of Japan, had d report on
mandates of Glass B, which he pro-
ceeded to read after the ambassadors
| letter, and the Council went on dis
Gus ing the appointment of a nandate
commission. Presentation of a report
on Glass A mandates, prepared br Paul
Hymans, CT Belgium, was postponed
/ temporarily.
A reply to Ambassador Wallace was
then drafted. The Council in this COM
munication made the particular point
that the terms of Class C mandates,
in which the Island of Yap is included
are already settled in the opinion of
! the Council, and that the particular
mandate for Yap has been sealed and
| delivered to Japan. The members of
the Council expressed the opinion that
the decision was unalterable, and that
nothing short of Japan's consent could
bring a change in the arrangement.
In the opinion of members of the
Council President Wilson let the man
date for Yap go to Japan by default.
Even though he failed to appoint an
! American observer at the Geneva cLn-
ference to keep track of what was
going on, he might have known, thew
saI, from official information avail
able in every European capital. that
the terms of the Glass C mandates
were about to be Settled.
Revision Clanse Struck Out
When the Glass C mandates came nm
Tor discussion at Geneva, the drafts
rrepared by British and Japanese dele
gates contained clauses permitting the
alteration of the terms of the man
aate with the consent of half the man
datory powers, but the AssembIv
struck out this clause in favor Of
unanlm1ty. The former provision was
deemed TO give too much power into