Evening star., 1922-03-21
Secretary Characterizes
Suggestions of Agreement
| as "AbsoIuteIy False"
RESENTS ASPERSI0NS
ON DELEGATES HONOR
Paul D. Cravath Declares Borah In.
accurately Quoted Him or Mis-
construed Meaning.

agreements during the arms con,
ference thnt were not embodied in
treaty form aud made public, 1t
was stated today mt the White
House In connection with charges
! in the Senate that nm understand
ing hnd been reached between the
United States and Great Britain
relative to action in the Pacific.
Presentation in the Senate today
OF letter from Secretary Hughes
denying fatty that any secret agree
,1ient exists for future British -Ameri-
can cooperation led today to another
effort by opponents of the four-power
treaty to send it back to committee.
The effort brought on a warm de-
bate.
The Secretary's letter, characteriz-
ing suggestions of such an agree
ment as absolutely false" was laid
before the Senate by Senator Lodge,
the republican leader and a member
of the arms delegation, who, at the
same time put into the record a tele-
gram from Paul D. Cravath, the New
York attorney, denying the accuracy
of statement on the same subject
attributed to him by Senator Borah.
republican, Idaho.
Reiterating a denial made in a for
mer communication that any secret
agreements existed with other pow
ers in connection with the arms con-
ference, Mr.. Hughes wrote in today's
letter that he hoped to see no fur
1hcr aspersions upon the veracity and
honor" of the American delegates.
The text of Secretary Hughes let
ter, which was addressed to Senator
Lodge, follows:
Statement Absolutely False.
My Dear Senator:
notice that the latest charge
in the course of the debate over
the four-power treaty is that
there is secret agreement or un-
derstanding between this govern
ment and Great Britain with re-
spect to Pacific matters. Any
such statement is absolutely false.
We have no secret understandings
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 11th, in relation to
the four-power treaty, I 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.
Mr.. Cravath's. telegram embodied
the statement issued by him last
night i'll New York. in which he de-
Siared that the words attributed to
him in the statement read by Sena-
tor Borah in the Senate yesterday
were either inaccurately quoted or
did not correctly convey his mean
ing. Referring to passage in which
Mr; Borah quoted him as saying he
had been told of the understanding"
by every member OF the American
: delegation, Mr.. Cravath said he had.
in fact, never talked with any dele
gate on any subject remotely re-
sembling' the alleged international
agreement
Confers With President.
Before the Senate met. Senator
leader. again conferred with Presi-
dent Harding a t the White House, and
although the details of their confer
eace was not revealed, 1t was assumed
they discussed all the possibilities of
the Senate situation in view of latest
developments. The republican lead
ers insisted they had a safe majority
against any motion to recommit
In the conference discussion of the
treaty itself. Senator Edge, republi-
can, New Jersey, was given right of
way for a prepared address urging
ratification. Several other senator's
anxious to get their opinions into the
Record before the one-hour limit on
DEBATE goes in effect tomorrow. We're
ready to speak,
Declaring that if the four-power
treaty failed all thought of limiting
armament must be indefinitely post
poned," Senator Edge told the Senate
that no reservations were necessary
and that he would vote for none ex-
cept as a means of insuring ratif1ca-
ton. He said he saw a great differ
ence" between the four-power ar
Tangement and the league of nations.
since the former affected only the
region in which the United States was
most interested and contained no
moral or legal responsibility which
would involve US unless we felt that
the cause was justified"
Borah Answers Cravath.
After the Cravath telegram had
been read, Senator Borah reread 1t
10 the senate ana declared that III
that kind of a plea had been made
in court the court, Of course, would
have assessed a judgment of guilty
against the man that made it" He
laid particular stress upon a state
ment in the telegram saying that Mr..
Cravath had revised" his remarks
and that the printed, corrected ver-
sion circulated later presented his
real views.
Then, reading from a printed PAM
phIet issued by the Council of For
eign Relations in New York, embody-
ing a discussion among its members
taking place on February II, Senator
Borah put into the record once more
. 1hc exact quotation from Mr.: Cravath
that he had presented yesterday.
This. it must be remembered. is Mr..
Cravath's revised, corrected version y
continued the Idaho Senator. And
] didn't get this document by stealing
IT. 1t was given to me by gentle
man who is a member of this cor
poration. who was present when the
discussion took place, and who says
this is what was said.
Mr.. Cravath refers in his telegram
10 charge of British-American
understanding made by me. I don't
Know what he means by a charge
j made no charge at all only read
.Ais own statement"
C>rofAr cnnffnnad Paa6inR