The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-09-27
AMERICA ENDORSES
PEACE PROPOSALS

insure freedom of the Dardanelles
and protection of racial and religious
minorities in negotiating a permanent
peace settlement of the Near East
ern crisis "are clearly in accord with
American sentiment" Secretary
Hughes declared today in the first
formal assertion of American policy
toward the Turkish problem.
At the same time Mr.. Hughes took
occasion to express the trust of the
Washington government that ar
rangements would be made to keep
pending the conference to conclude
final treaty of peace between Tur-
key, Greece and the allies"
The statement was made in reply
to question submitted to Mr..
Hughes by the Associated Press as
to the attitude of the American gov
ernment toward the peace proposals
made by the allies. His answer fol-
lows:
"The American government is graf
flied to observe that the proposal If
the three allied governments seek to
insure effectively the liberty of the
Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmora and
the Bosphorus as wei las protection
of the racial and religious minori-
ties These points are clearly in ac
cord with American sentiment.
This government also trusts that
suitable arrangements may be agreed
upon in the interest of peace to re-
serve the freedom of the straits pend
ing the conference to conclude a. final
treaty ST peace between Turkey and
Greece and the allies"
Beyond this expression state de-
partment officials declined to go in
outlining the American attitude. No
authoritative statement was avail
ableS as to the possibility that the
Washington government would ac-
cept an invitation to be represented
at the conference of Venice to nego-
tiate the peace treaty. AS the ques-
tion has not arisen except in unofficial
reports from London as to the desire
of the British government for Ameri-
can participation, it was deemed to be
not now before the American govern
- HugSxs dsslld seiaeadT. ip
answer 70 the ffiqnfry Us 70 'Afnefican
attitude, to comment in any way on
any territorial questions involved in
solution of the present Near Eastern
problem. In this connection, how
ever, it was pointed out at the depart
ment that the points upon which the
secretary expressed the governments
views involved only matters in which
the United States has a very direct
interest of long standing. These in
clude free movement between the
Aegean and Black seas for American
vessels; the rights under treaty OF
the denominational educational insti-
tutions maintained in Turkey by
American religious organizations and
other similar matters. With the ter
ritorial establishments nj Turkey as /.
result of the great war or of the
present developments due to Kemal-
ist successes, the Washington gov
ernment is not now concerned.
There was some feeling among of
ficials that the positive assertion of
American approval of the main allied
principles of settlement might help
smooth out the situation. 1t was felt
that the Kemalist government NIGH
be influenced to certain extent by
knowledge of the American view
point.
Thus far the American govern
ment has not participated in any
treaty negotiations arising from the
war except where it was itself
belligerent. Turkey and the United
States were never at war and the
treaty of Sevres, rejected by the An
CORA government and which the Ven
ice pact is proposed to supplant, was
framed without American participa-
ton. 1t 81 a fact, however, thatin
that treaty, the United States was
named as one of the powers to share
in administration of the neutralized
zone of the straits the treaty would
have created. /The Washington gov
ernment was not consulted by the
treaty negotiators before it was in
cluded in this group of powers.
A further complication to any di.
rect American participation in the
Venice conference may arise from the
demand of Russian Soviet authori'
ties to be represented in the nego'
tiations and Kemalist support Of that
demand. Should an invitation be ex
tended to the United States and also
to the Moscow government, the pol
icy of abstainig from any political in
tercourse with Soviet Russia, which
the Washington authorities have fol
lowed, would have to be considered
The British original proposal that
the administration of the straits bt
provided for under the league of ma
tions also presents possibilities OF