The Washington times., 1922-11-20
SECRECY Wells
SESSIONS At
LAUSANNE
''Fifteen Points" Presented by
Curzon as Conference Is
Opened" Today.
by FRANK r. MASON.
International News Service,

LAUSANNE, witzerland, Nov. 90
Decisions In the Near East peace
conference which began here today
are TO be worked out under tn"
veil of secret diplomacy. The tri'
umvirute-Lord Curzon OF England.
Premier Poincare of France, ami
Premier Mussolini of Italy-hav"
agreed upon secret covenants,
secretly arrived at"
The secret sessions OF the parley
will be held today 4 quasi censor
ship has been established. All press
dispatches will be scanned by an
allied control committee.
With the allies In accord. but
with Italy maintaining an aggrcs'
sive attitude in line with the ma
tionalist policy of the Fascist gov
ernment now in control at Rome,
the Near East peace conference got
under way.
CurzOn's Is Points.
The honor Of presenting tho al
lies peace program fell to LORD
CurZun, British foreign secretary.
II consists OF fifteen points divided
into two sections. The first ten
treat with political and territorial
matters in Turkey and Thrace; the
last five deal with financial and
economic matters.
Premier Mussolini OF Italy. who
compelled Lord CurZon and Pre-
mier Poincare Of France TO go to
the village Of Territet for a pre-.
liminary parley before he would
come to Lausanne. IL going 10 play
dominant part in the conference,
according to all indications. He
insists that Italy be treated as an
equal with Britain and France and
that "if there are going Ia he any
melons cut Italy must share on
an equal basis with the other
allies"
Before today's preliminary session
hegnn there were informal COnver'
sations among the allied statesmen
with Lord Curzon. Premier Poin.
care and Premier Mussol;ni par
ticipating.
Oil Fields Big Issue.
II is certain that the future
status OF the rich Turkish oil fields
is going To play an impOrtatn part
in the deliberations for "p"tr"!cum
is now magic word In ;ntclna-
tional stateSmanship and diplomacy
The Turkish delegates took IN"
background duriug the preliminary
stage, but Ismet Pasha declared they
were not goi7 & to allow Turkish ter
ritory and concessions to be ped
died" Turkey, he said, will not
longer tolerate the treatment OF
vassal state.
That the American observers
Jos ph c. Crew. minister to SwitZcr'
land, Richard Washburn Child, am.
bassador to Italy. and Admiral Mark
Bristol--are not going to play an en-
tirely passive role is evident. 1t is
even possible they may take part in
some of the discussions. The keen
interest displayed by the United
States in the conference has aroused
some OF the European delegates con.
s!dcrably.
The big questions TO be con.
sidered are:
l. Observation-Disclosures Of the
Turkish straits-Dardanel Bos-
phorus. and Sea of Marmora.
2-Realignment of the Turkish
lTOHlltlS III .utl IL hSid .hltoI anu
southea stern Europe.
3-SafeCuards for Christians.
Status Of Sultan.
future status of the Sultan,
Mohammed VI. who fled from Con.
stantinople to Malta.
5-Turkish debts TO foreign coun-
tries.
6-Turkey's demand for indemnity
to Greece.
7-Turkey's demand for a plebis-
cite in western Thrace.
S-Fur'h"r relations between Tur-
key ard Russia.
The Russian delegates will not be
allowed to participate In any dis.
cussions save those affecting the
Turkish straits
1t is understood that Lord Curzon
has been insisting that the question
of military and naval coercive meas.
ures be settled before any actual
peace decisions are reached.
Premier Poincare agreed to coop.
crate II COERCION upon the Turks
were necessary. He suggested de.
cision as to the scope OF the armed
coercion be postponed until the
Turks actually showed themselves In
an obstreperous frame of mind. In
the meantime mild pressure" would
be exerted.