The Washington herald., 1921-02-04
World Affairs of Greatest
Importance Await Out
line of Policy.
INTEREST HINGES
ON LEAGUE STAND
Peace With Germany and
Austria Command First
Attention.
By FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

No incoming national administra-
tion ever has been faced by such
mountain of grave issues in the
realm of foreign affairs as awaits
President Harding and his Secretary
of State. East, West, North and
South of the United States-in Eu-
rope, Asia and both the Americas
lproblCms OF unparalleled Importance
await solution. The fact they will
be transferred by the WiIson-Colby
regime to the Harding Hughes stew
ardship does not denpte a farewell
ana supereXhibition of one of the
hallmarks of the disappearing ad-
ministration. irreverently known as
passing the buck"
Virtually on every one Of our out
standing foreign affairs, the state
Department insists, work and negO-
tiation will be pressed until the
clock strikes II on March 4. But at
this writing it, seems beyond the
realm of possibility that any of them
will be a closed incident by that
time.
2S-YeRr Question.
The Japanese situation is a classic
case in point. 1t has been hanging
eight years 1t is hardly likely to
be written of on our international
books in the twenty eight days OF
Hower remaining to Woodrow Will
son.
First and foremost, of course,
there is the formulation of Amer
ica's whole new international pol
icy. Is Mr.. Harding going into" or
staying out Of" The existing league
Of nations? viii he come forward
with plans and specifications for an
"Americanized" association OF ma
tions? VIII he attempt to grapple
with international questions affect
ing the United States on principle
of the lone hand, or tackle them in
concert with other great powers?
Unsnished Business.
Those major issues dealt with
here are a few of the principal
pieces of unfinished business the
President and his Secretary of State
will find on their desks on March 5:
GERMANY-Conclus of peace;
adjudication OF questions concerning
German property held by the United
States and American property held
by Germany; resumption of trade
relations; probable German attempt
to float loans in America.
AUSTRIA-ConClusio Of peace,
and all questions herewith connect
ed, of same general character as
those associated with Germany
TURkEY-Resumpt of diplo-
matte and trade relations.
GREAT BRITAIN-Our rights in
the former German cables; onen
door in Near Eastern Oilfields: un-
redeemed British Indebtedness of
$4,O00,0 100000 odd; British objections
to new American merchant marine
law; revised regulation of Panama
Canal tolls; Irish American at
tempts to secure L. S. recognition of
Irish Republic; reduction of naval
ornaments.
FRANCE rights in the for
lner German cables; unredeeln4d
French Indebtedness of $4,000, 600
900 odd; unfulflled U. S.-British
treaty of alliance for protection of
France against German aggression
JAPAN-The California land law
issue; Japanese aggression in Sag
halin IslAd. Siberia and Manchuria; !;
Japanese Occupation "i' Shan-tung;
Japanese protests against new
} American merchant marine act; re-
duction of naval Lrmaments.
MEXICO-RecOEnitIon of the OBJ
regon government. and al Ameri-
can Mexican isSIts dependent there
on.
CANADA-EmbarSo on wood-pulp
exports; long pending fishery dis
I rute affecting rights adjacent to
Maine and Canadian waters
HAETI - Final formulation of
4 American policy.
CHINA - Chinese reliance on
\ American help in revising Shan
turg Geal.
I CUBA-Internal unrest. with pos
sibility of American Intervention;
unredeemed indebtedness of 10000
900 odd.
RUsSIA-Recognition or nonrec-
ognitiOn Of Soviet government.
with incidental decision regarding
Americas attitude toward new bor-
der states carved out of former Rus
sia Empire; policy toward newly
constituted Russian constituent as
sembly" just formed at Paris among
all elements opposed to Bolshevism;
unredeemed Russian indebtedness of
5000, ,OOe, 900 odd.
BELGIUM-Unredee indebted
ness of $4OO.OOO,O 900 odd.
ERBIA-Unredeeme indebted
ness of 100000, 900 odd.
, ITALY-Unredeemed indebtedness
Eof S2,OOO.0 100000 odd
GREECE-Unredeem indebted
ness of s20,00O,OOO odd
| RUMA indebt-
edness of S30O0O,OO0 odd.
CZECHO-SLOVAKIA-Unredeemed
Indebtedness of $65,OOO,OO odd.
Those matters almost each one OF
which is worthy of being entitled
a first-class diplomatic incident, by
no means exhaust the calendar OF
unfinished business at the State De-
| partment. They afford, however, a
| graphic picture OF what is in store
for Mr.. Harding and his foreign
minister, and, at the same time, of
| the tremendous work which has
rested upon the shoulders of Balm
i bridge Colby, Norman II. Davis and
their cOadjustors at the State De-
|