Evening star., 1922-02-20
PRESIDENT UNABLE
TO SUPPLY SENATE
IMPACT DETAILS
Mr.. Harding Declares 1t Is
Improper to Disclose Con-
fidentiaI Negotiations.
mo SECRET EXCHANGES" !"
AND NO RECORD, HE SAYS
Reply to Hitchcock Referred to
Committee-Yap Treaty Is
Favorably Reported.

President Harding. replying today to
the Senate on the Hitchcock resolution
asking for information relative to the
ne gotiation of the four-power Pacific
treaty. stated it was impossible to fur
nish the requested informati because
most of the negotiations were conducted
without the maintaining of record.
The President said il would not be
compatible with public interests to dis
close the confidential negotiations Of the
treaty negotiators. but he declared that
that there were no concealed undertak-
ings and no secret exchanges Of notes"
Without discussion the Presidents
letter was referred to the foreign re-
lations committee, when il was read
in the Senate. the motion being made
by Senator Hitchcock.
Treaty Favorably Reported.
Almost coincident with the arrival
of the Presidents letter at the Senate
the foreign relations committee Of
that body by a vote OF ten to one
ordered favorably reported the treaty
between the United States and Japan
regarding the Island OF Yap.
The action followed a two-hour
debate in the committee. and was
taken after several republican and
democratic senators had indicated they
would favor reporting the treaty to
the Senate, but reserved the right to
discuss it on the floor. The
single negative vote was cast by
Senator Pittman. democrat, Nevada.
The Presidents reply to the Hitch
cock resolution. which was adopted
by the Senate last week, follows:
Text of Presideat's Reply.
Responsive to Senate resolution.
No. 237, asking for records, minutes,
arguments. debates, conversations.
| etc. relating to the so-called four
power treaty. / have to advise that
it is impossible to comply with the
/ Senate's request
Many of the things asked for in
the resolution it 10 literally impos-
sible to furnish. because there were
many conversations and discussions
quite outside the conference, yet
vital to its success. Naturally these
are without record.
II do not believe it to be compatible
with public interests or consistent
with the amenities of international
negotiations to attempt to reveal
informal and confidential conversa-
tions or discussions of which no
record was kept, or to submit ten
tative suggestions or informal pro-
posals. without which the arrival. at
desirable international under stand
ings would be rendered unlikely il
not impossible.
while l am unable to transmit the
information requested. l do. however.
take this opportunity to say most en-
phatically that there were no con-
cealed understandings and no secret
exchanges of notes. and there are no
commitments whatever. except as ap-
pear in the four-power treaty itself
and the supplementary agreement.
which are now in the hands OK the
Senate"
Reply Held Unsatisfactory.
Indications that the Presidents re-
ply to the Hitchcock resolution was
not satisfactory to the senators who
have looked askance at the four
power Pacific treaty were forthcom-
ing Immediately after the reading of
the letter.
Senator Hitchcock, the ranking
democratic member of the foreign re-
I0tlOnS COmmlttcc anu dutuoF VI <uc
resolution asking the President for
information regarding the four power
pact, EXPRESSED the opinion that the
! foreign relations committee would
| have to try some other means, OF OBJ
tanning information regarding this
| treaty.
/ He said that while he could not
speak for the committee. he should
| imagine it would request Secretary
| Hughes to appear before it. as he
was the only member Of the. AmeriT
can delegation. apparently. who took
! part in the negotiations, with Mr..
/ Balfour, Baron Kato and NJ. Viyiani.
Senator Hitchcock said that he was
| leaving town for a week.
Senator Borah of Idaho. republican
| irreconcilable. who is leading the
fight against the four-power treaty
/ said that the Presidents reply was
| lust what he had expected IL to be.
He indicated that it was entirely un-
satisfactory.
4 IT looked this afternoon as though
the four-power treaty would be held
before the foreign relations commit
! tee for some time or at least until
| Secretary Hughes has had an oppor-
tunity to testify.