The Washington times., 1921-01-23
State UeDarfment. fOIIOWs :


Your telegram OF December 26.
1920. transmitting a message re-
ceiyed by the council from the Brit
ish government. concerning Arme-
mia. stating that Armenia IN re-
ported to be under the control OF
soviet Russia and suggesting that
the President instruct the Ameri-
can high commissioner al constan.
tinople to take up the matter with
the allied high commissioners. has
been received and read with Inter
est by the PreSiaent. who instructs
me 10 reply as follows:
The President does not deem IL
practicable to inst ruct the American
high commissioner at constanti-
nople TO act for him In this matter.
As was stated In my telegram OF
December l9. 1920. he has chosen
the Honorable Henry Morgenthau.
who has been prepared TO act for
him In such steps as may be taken
Before instrucing him to proceed.
however. the President has boen
awaiting the definite assurances
and information from all the prin-
cipal powers interested. as request
ed In his cable OF November 80.
1920. defining the conditions under
winch Hc Wouiu ehueasor " "SuS
ate.
MOVE FUTILE NOW.
The message from the British
prime minister, transmitted by you
on December 20, would seem TO
indicate the impraeticability or
futility, of the Presidents address,
ing himself. at least In the lrst
instance, to the Arpenians and
Kemalists. The President 10 In
clined to share this view and to feel
that no solution can be had with
out FIRST getting at the source OF
the trouble.
Pending receipt of Information
and assurances required by the
President In his telegram of Novem-
ber 80. 1920, II Is deemed wise to
state the problem as the President
views II, it's causes and possible
remedies. II would appear that the
Immediate cause of trouble in Ar
menia and Turkey has been the
treaty of Sevres. Admittedly, this
was a difficult question with which
to contend. but the treaty was draft
ed by the allied powers and the
trouble has arisen over the failure
of certain factions to accept this
treaty, and Of the allies, to enforce
II. This Is a question over which
the President has no control. and
measures which he might take or
recommend in this direction would
be dependent upon the hearty CO.
operation and support OF the allied
powers.
The British prime minister calls
the attention to the report that
Armenia is under the control OF
Moscow, from which IL appears that
another complication has developed.
The dependence of Armenia on
Soviet Russia is another situation
over which the President has no
control and he ses no action he could
take to- free Armenia without the
moral and diplomatic support of the
principal powers which holds prom
Use of bringing peace and accord to
the contending parties.
WOULD FREE RED FORCES.
There Is bitter distrust and fear
OF war along all the Russian bor-
ders. 1t seems futile to attempt to
bring peace to the Caucasus IL
the result is merely to free the
forces there engaged for new cam
paigns on other sectors Of this
long front. The distressful situa-
tion of Armenia is but one detail
of this vast Russian problem, and
the President most earnestly urges
his conviction that IL is only by a
general and comprehensive treat
ment of the whole problem. only
by full and generous cooperation
of the principal powers, that
hopeful approach to the pacifica-
tion and independence of Armenia
can be found.
The attitude of the President to-
ward those now in power in Rus
sia has been frequently and clear
ly expressed. He regards the
Bolsheviki as a violent and tyran-
nical minority, by no means repre-
senting the real desires and pur-
poses of the Russian people. But
he has never believed that the
problems raised by this coup d'etat
could be solved by military action
from outside. He now hopes that
the recent tragical events on the
Polish front ana in tho Crimea