The New York herald., 1921-02-09
CAPITAL Is AMAZED
AT LONDON WARNING
American Embassy Asked to
Confirm Statement of
British Official.
.PREP0STEROUS' - COLBY
Secretary Says Relations With
Great Britain are Not
Strained.
.PREPOSTEROUS' - COLBY
Special Despatch TO THE New YORK HERALD
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID, c., Feb. y.

Spcciui DsSpdfcH 10 THE NEW YORK HERALD
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID. c.. Feb. y.
The United Press despatch from Lon
don to-day quoting an unnamed British
Government official as stating at the
British Foreign Office that tine relations
between Great Britain and America are
strained and tine two countries are
"treading the path that leads to war,
caused amazement among members OF
Congress and Administration officials.
The report was generally discredited,
although il was told with such circum-
stantial detail that an inquiry has been
addressed to the American Embassy at
London asking for confederation or de-
nial.
Secretary Colby refused utterly to
believe that any statement of the kind
reported had been made by an accred-
tied representative OF the British Gov
ernment.
1.-THE report as it reaches me seems
utterly preposterous. l cannot credit it"
was his only comment.
Referring to the British Government
official who is said TO have made the
statement a high official OF the State
Department said
Unofficial reports have reached the
State Department that Sir Auckland
Geddes. British Ambassador to the
United States, who is now on a visit to
his own Government, is the official who
is supposed to have issued the warning"
Mr.. Colby stated with the utmost posi-
tiveness that the relations between the
United States and Great Britain were
not strained. Members of Congress
were equally insistent that there was
nothing on the international horizon TO
justify such an assertion.
Among america. officials ana mem
bers of Congress there is a general feel
ing that any difficulty between Great
Britain and the United States which
might lead to a break would be unthink-
able. and if 1t occurred might well lead
to the destruction of Western civjiza-
tion.
There is no effort to disguise the fact
that several incidents have occurred
since the late war which have not tended
to make the relations between the two
countries more amiable The chief offence
against the susceptlbilities of the British
people perhaps has been the American
attitude toward the Irish question. The
American attitude on many important
questions, among them the refusal TO en-
ter into the League of Nations, is at
variance with the British policy. The
American Government has also taken a
definite attitude of opposition to the
British Interpretation OF the mandate
for Mesopotamia. 1t has been critical of
the reparations agreement and it has
suggested a policy unacceptable to Great
Britain relative to unified action toward
Russia.
This possible tension has been accentu-
ated by suggestions that the Panama
L NW..s%
States coastwise ships that another
American Canal might be constructed
across Nicaragua that the American
Merchant Marine might become dan
9erous competitor OF the British and
that the United States purposes to equal
ize her naval power with that of Great
Britain.