New-York tribune., 1922-03-22
No Secret Agreement or
Understanding, Both
He and Hughes Assert
in Official Statements
Cravath Telegraphs
His Reputation
Diversion Has No Effect
on Treaty Line.Up; Rat.
ification Friday Certain

from The Irfbrno's Washington Bureuu
WASHINGTON, March 21. - This
United States government has entered
into no secret agreement or under
standing either with Great Britain or
any other country, it was declared at
the White House to-day in answer to
suggestions made in the Senate by SEN
ator Borah, quoting Paul D. Cravath,
Of an understanding between this coun-
try and Great Britain in regard to the
Pacific in connection with the four
power Pacific treaty.
The President, it is learned, regards
1t as outrageous that this government
should be charged with such perfidous
conduct as to invite Japan to confer
ence and then enter into an agree
ment to work against her.
Answering charges that there is q
secret agreement between this govern
ment and Great Britain with respect to
Pacific matters. Secretary of State
Hughes, in letter to Senator Lodge
o-day, declared any such statement
"absolutely false"
Cht vi IluSHcS 3 DcNlaJ
The text Of Mr.. Hughes's letter fol-
lows:
"My Dear Senator
Il notice that the latest charge in
the course of the debate over the
four-power treaty is that there is
secret agreement or understanding
between this government and Great
Britain with respect to Pacific mat
ters. Any such statement is abso-
lutely false. We have no secret un-
standings or agreements with Great
Britain in relation to the four-power
treaty or any other matter.
'In my letter to Senator Under
wood on March II, in relation to the
four-power treaty, said: There are
no secret notes or understandings
Permit me to express the hope
that the American delegates will be
saved further aspersions upon their
veracity and honor. Faithfully yours,
CHARLES E. HUGHES"
The Presidents denial and the read
ing of the letter of Secretary Hughes
we're followed by several other deve-
opments in the Senate in the four
power treaty fight. Another feature
was denial by Mr.. Cravath in tele-
gram to Senator Lodge that he had
made the statements which Senator
Borah represented he had made before
the Council of Foreign Relations in
New York February II. Mr.. Cravath
said the utterance attributed to him
"was the language of informal dis
cussion," which did not accurately
convey his meaning and that before it
was published he had corrected the
language as it appeared in the minutes
of a stenographic report on which Sen
ator Borah's statement Monday pre-
sumably was based.
Borah Defends Quotation
In response Senator Borah produced
a printed pamphlet, entitled "No 29--
Proceedings Of the Council of Foreign
Relations, Incorporated" He read Mr..
Cravath's remarks as published in this
pamphlet and challenged any Senator
to point out wherein the printed lam
guage, as published in the document
of the Council of Foreign Relations,
Incorporated, differed from what he
had read to the Senate the preceding
day.
With vote scheduled for Friday,
Administration leaders tonight ex-
pressed complete confidence that the
treaty would be ratified. While it is
a fact there are still several wavering
Senators, the opposition cannot figure
out enough votes to beat the treaty.
This afternoon Democrats began circu-
lation of a paper pledging support of
the Robinson amendment or reserva-
tion providing for inclusion of all ma
tions to a controversy in any confer
ence under the treaty. They mustered
26 votes for it and are seeking 20. If
they could get enough votes to force
this proposition they would abandon
concerted opposition to the treaty, but
ad II