The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-02-17
READY TO REPORT
NAVAL REDUCTION
ANDGAS TREATIES
But Senate Committee
Demands Information
On Four-Power Pact.

The Senate Foreign Relations
Committee is ready to report out
favorably the naval reduction
treaty and the treaty banning pol
son gas and establishing rules for
conduct of submarine warfare,
A detailed examination of the
treaties at a meeting of the COM
mittee late yesterday revealed that
there is no opposition to them,
and they were laid aside. Consid-
GRAFTON of the American-Japanese
treaty on Yap then was begun.
The committee debated, but did
not decide whether the treaties
will be reported out one at a time,
or simultaneously.
Consideration of the. four-power
Pacific treaty at which greatest op-
position has been leveled. was aban-
doned pending a reply from the
President to the resolution of SEN
ator Hitchcock asking for records
OF all negotiations which led up to
the treaty.
BrandeEee Raps aForee..
The Senate adopted Hitchcock's
resolution yesterday after 1t had
been discussed in committee. SEN
ator Brandegee, during the commit
Ice ucoolC- was Sdld 10 nave oe-
clared with emphasis that IL was
clear the four-power pact morally
obligated America to use force in
the Pacific when the interests of
other powers are menaced. This
was thought to indicate the sup
port to Brandegee to the proposed
force" reservation. Brandegee was
one of the leading irreconcilable
opponents of the Wilson peace
program.
Hitchcock's resolution was
adopted in the Senate after Sena-
tor Lodge. Republican leader, and
Senator Underwood, Democratic
leader, both American delegates to
the arms conference, said they
would raise no objection.
No Records Kept.
Considerable debate developed,
however, and the fact was brought
out that no records of the CONVEX
sations on the four-power treaty
among Hughes, Balfour. Kato and
BRAND Cor Viviani), are in exist
ence.
Lodge and Underwood explained
that heads of the four delegations
carried on the negotiations, which
were private because the abroga-
tion of the Anglo-Japanese alliance
could not properly be discussed be-
fore the arms conference.
The negotiations were conducted
entirely by conversations" said
Lodge, "and know of no records
or minutes. I am ready to make
everything public. and So is the
Senator from Alabama. But it is
frnnn.0ih1n NN he
tions from memory. II no CONVEX
where there are stenographers and
witnesses, few treaties would be
negotiated"
Hitchcock scores Secrecy.
Lodge went on to say that no
difference in opinion existed among
those who signed the treaty Sena-
tor Borah had pointed out that the
submission to the Senate of various
drafts might help to clear up the
he said existed as
to just what the treaty meant.
Hitchcock argued that records
should have been kept. He COM
planned because there were mot
even communiques." like those is
sued on the Shantung negotiations
between Japan and China.
TT would be an amazing thing"
declared Hitchcock. "if the four
power treaty, recognized by the
President as being the outstanding
treaty of them all. should have
been concluded without the same
record that was deemed necessary
for the less important Chinese
treaty"
Senator johnson, California, irre-
concilable, declared he had been
unable to find any information in
the s00-page report of the Presi-
dent to the Senate.
81 believe every scrap of infor-
nation ought to be readily accord
ed" he said, II want 1t, the COM
mittee should want II. and the
country should have it There must
be some information and data.