New-York tribune., 1921-04-15
France Admits
i. S. Held Yap
Question Open
seply, as Given Out, Says
wilson and Lansing. at
Sessions Before Final One,
Made Valid Reservations
viii Broach Issue Anew
Tn to Supreme Council;
Dryden and Wallace to
Ioin Allied Commissions
r,or m, Trioare's Washington Buresu

.nee by the French government of the
,uerican principle of equality of
.,ssts in mandatory territories. ad-
ssnced in the Hughes note to the four
rye.t powers allied with the United
Gates in the war, is seen in Premier
s-snd's answer, made public to-day by
he State Department.
The reply not only says no binding
decision can be reached on the status
II the mandate over zap until the AL
Ned Supreme Council meets and the
american viewpoint is carefully consid-
srsd, but Premier BRAND gives assur-
snee that the French representatives
will place before the Council the Yap
question with the greatest desire to
end solution which will give every
satisfaction to the United States"
The French reply is made more COM
petely satisfactory by the statement
Of Premier BRAND that, while no spe-
che reservation on the disposition of
Zap was voiced by the United States at
The Councils meeting OK May Z, 1919,
both former President Wilson and for
mer Secretary of State Lansing had
previously registered categorical reser-
vaticns concerning the naming of
Japan as mandatary over Yap. and that
Baron Maxine, the Japanese represent
stive, bad raised no objection.
Keen Satisfaction
These two points in the French re-
ply were referred to by officials with
the greatest satisfaction. and, although
It was admitted that the French answer
defers complete settlement Of the zap
dispute to the future meeting Of the
Allied ambassadors, sitting as the
Supreme Council, the friendship of
France at this forthcoming meeting
vas assured.
The reply of the French government
vas handed to American Ambassador
Wallace at Paris April Z and trans
mitted at once to the State Depart
ment Simultaneous publication of the
note was authorized to-day, both in
Washington and Paris.
The text of the reply follows:
Il have the honor to acknowledge
the receipt of the letter dated the
lib Of this month by which your
usellency was good enough to trans
rato me a memorandum from the De-
rtment of State relative to the status
uihe island of Yap.
Since this memorandum was sent
simultaneously to the governments of
Great Britain, Italy and Japan it can
not DE answered until after an under.
s.anding has been reached between the
governments Of the four interested
lowers at the time of the next meeting
Il the Supreme Council of the Allies,
II wish, however, to inform your ex-
'ellency at once that when this ques-
ion comes before the Supreme Council
he representatives of France will
,roach the examination thereof with
the greatest desire to find solution
which will give every satisfaction te
the United States.
"As your excellency knows, the gov.
srnment of the republic already has
done all in its power to lend it's aid te
the American government in this mat
ter. By a note dated February 18
after having noted that the decision OF
May z, 1919, made no reservation con.
cerning the mandate attributed to Japan
over the islands of the Northern Pa
cihc, my department pointed out t.
your embassy that nevertheless Presi.
dent Wilson and Mr.. Lansing had
in the course of a former
meeting in the presence of the repre-.
sentative of Japan categorical reserva.
tons concerning the island Of Yap, that
Baron Maxine had not objected, that
the question raised by the representa-
tives of the United States should be
placed in discussion, and that conse-
quently the Japanese government was
cognizant of the American reserva-
tons. The note concluded that thus
there were elements for a resumption
OF conversations between the United
States and Japan which the govern.
ment Of the republic would be happy
to see result in q satisfactory con-
clusion.
Communicated to Japan
This note was communicated on the
same day to the Embassy Of Japan at
Paris and your excellency was good
enough to express to my department
Your great satisfaction at this COM
by giving the assurance
that it would. be particularly appreci-
ated at Washington. BRAND"
!. With the French view officially be-
fore this government, the next move in
advancing the Harding policy of coop
Grafton with the Allied governments is
expected to be the designation of
Roland. w. Boyden as the American
representative to sit on the Reparations
Commission. Similarly, instructions
may soon be dispatched to American
AQlhasSadnr Wallaca at paria fa ra-