Evening star., 1921-04-21
Text of Negotiations Shows
Britain, France and Rus
sia Made Pledge.
| NATIONS BOUND TO BACK
TOXIC IN PACIFIC ISLANDS
Parleys Show Difficulty for Sup
/ port of United States in Con-
troversy Over Yap.
BY PAUL SCOTT MoWRER.


BY Gable 10 The Star and Chicago Daily News
Copyright. 1921.
PARIS. France. April 21.-The
writer is able TO reveal herewith for
the first time the secret texts of the
negotiations in which. at Japans re-
quest, Britain, France and Russia
! bound themselves to support the Jap
anese claims to Shantung and the Pa
enc ocean islands north of the eQua
tor at the peace conference and which
make 1T exceedingly difficult for
France and Britain to comply Loyalty
with the request of the United States
| Tor theiN support in the zap Island
| controversy.
| The first text, dated at Toxic, Japan,
February IL. 1917. is from the British
ambassador to Viscount Motono, the
Japanese foreign minister, and it is as
follows:
With reference to the subject of
our conversation of the 27th ultimo.
when your excellency informed me of
the desire of the imperial government
10 receive assurance that on the oc
caslon of the peace conference his
Britannia majesty'S government will
support the claims of Japan in regard
10 the disposal of Germany's rights in
Shantung and possessions in islands
north of the equator. have the honor,
under instructions received from his
Brltannlc majesty's principal secre-
tary of state for foreign affairs, to
communicate to your excellency the
following message from his Britannia
! maJesty's government:
! HIS maJesty's government accedes
| win pleasure TO the request of the
Japanese government for assurance
| that they will support Japan's claims
| IN regard to the disposal Of Germanys
| rights in Shantung and possessions in
| islands north Of the equator on the
occasion of the peace conference il
| being understood that the Japanese
government will in the eventual peace
settlement treat in the same spiri.
| Britains claims to German isia nds
south of the equator
/ Niscount Motono's Reply.
( Fiscount Motono's reply. dated Feb
ruary II. 1917. after the usual for
malities, proceeds:
The japanese government are deep
! ~ appreciative of the friendly spirit
IN which your government has given
assurance and are happy to note it
as fresh proof Of the close ties which
unite the two allied powers. take
pleasure in stating that the Japanese
j government on their part are fully
prepared to support in the same spirit
/ claims which may be put forward at
the peace conference by his Britannia
maJestys government with regard to
German possessions in the islands
| soulh VI the equator.
| On February f9 Viscount Motopo
| wrote to the Russian and French
ambassadors in Toxic as follows:
me imperial government has not
| yet formally begun pourparlers with
the entente powers regarding the
| peace conditions they propose to pre-
sent to Germany. thinking that such
questions should be decided in con-
cert between Japan and the aforesaid
powers at the moment of the peace
! negotiations. Nevertheless, in view
of the recent development of the gen
eral situation and the particular ar
rangements concerning the peace ne
| gotiations. such as the Advancement
regarding the disposition of the Bos-
porus Constantnople and the OAR
danelles. which have already occurred
between the interested powers the
! imperial government considers that
! the moment has come for it to ex
press it's desiderata regarding certain
peace conditions essential to Japan in
order to submit them to the considera
ton of your government
Your government is perfectly in
| formed of all the efforts which tho
imperial government has made in a
general way to fulfill its task in tho
| present war. particularly with a view
! to guaranteeing for the future the
peace OF eastern Asia and the secur-
/ ity of the empire, for both of which II
Is absolutely necessary to deprive Ger
hifhy VI us odStS OIL political. mill
/ tary and economic activity in the far
east. In these conditions the imperiaI
government intends to demand from
the German government in the peace
negotiations the cessation of terri
torial rights and special Interests
which Germany held before the war
I in Shantung and the islands belong
ing TO IT situated north of the equator
I in the Pacific ocean"
Japan furthermore hopes that
Franco
of their support and adds:
1T goes without saying that the rem
drdtion Tor the damages caused the
lives and property of the Japanese peo-
pie by the unJustihable attacks of the
enemy as well as other peace condi
tions which might have character
common TO all the entente powers are
totally excluded from the consideration
of the present question"
NJ. BRAND, then premier of France.
replied on March !, promising Frances
J support and asking in return active helm
in obtaining rupture of the dipIo-
matte relations between Germany and
China for the allied governments were
pre-occupied at this time with Russia's
: collapse and desired to reinforce the
eastern front against Germany Wis
count Motono acknowledged M. Rri-
ands note on March s, and thanked
! France for the assurance of support,
promising aid in the Chinese question
p RUSSIAN promise OF. SupDO0 was also
given and Japan. under date of March
/ s, expressed profound gratitude for the
sentiment which inspired the Russian
government in giving it's assent to the
desiderata Of the Japanese government"
4 Finally. on March %, the Japanese
ambassador in Rome handed TO the
Italian government note which.
after stating Japans intentions re-
| garding Shantung and the Pacific is
/ lands. continued:
Given the present phase Of events,
the imperial government considered
1T to be its duty to insure at once the
full support of the British, French
! and Russian governments in case the
| foregoing demands should be present
ed to Germany in the peace negotia-
| tions. In bringing to the knowledge
of the royal Italian government and
! the British, French and Russian gov
| crnments the very confidential in
formation that arrangements have
lately been concluded between the
, imperial government and the British
and French governments regarding
the foregoing, the imperial govern
nent has the firmest conviction that
| the royal Italian government, in
spired by the sentiments Of friend
| ship which animate both countries.
and in view Of the necessity of mu
tual aid for the triumph of the com
mon cause in the present war, will
welcome with satisfaction the con-
clusion OF the aforementioned ar
rangements."