The Washington herald., 1922-12-08
Indications at Lausanne Are
That Pleas of the Russians
will Be Utterly Disregarded
CREDIT GOES TO CHILD
American Observers State
ment Of U. S. Views Rea-
son for Ottoman lndecision
BY JOHN HADLEY.
International News Service.

InternafiOnal news service.
LAUSANNE, Dec. 7.-Although
the Russians spent the day urging
the Turks to support the Soviets'
demand that the Turkish Straits
be closed to warships, optimistic
predictions were made in Allied
circles tonight that, when the
Near East Peace Conference
Commission dealing with the Oar
danelles meets again tomorrow,
Ismet Pasha will consent to accept
the Allied viewpaint with modifi-
cations.
CHILD GETS CREDIT.
II the Russo-Turkish bloc splits
over the Turkish Straits issue. the
lions share of credit win go to
Richard Washburn Child, spokes-
man for the American delegation
Of Observers. who served notice to
the conference on Wednesday that
the United States will not consent
to having her men-of-war barred
from any international waterway.
The apparent inclination of the
Turks to switch from the Russian
to the Allied viewpoint lifted the
conference tonight from the depths
of pessimism to a level of compare
tive optimism.
Lord Curzon. British Foreign Sec
p retary and chief of tn British
delegation. conferred with Ismet
Pasha, chief of the Turkish delega-
ton. The British diplomat en-
iightened the Turks upon some of
the political aspects Of the Allied
plan that had not been touched
upon.
COUNT ON ITALIANS.
Lord Curzon had an engagement
to take dinner this evening with
Premier Mussolini. Of Italy. TO dis
cuss issues that had arisen in the
absence Of the Italian leader. Mus
-solini was understood to have given
assurances to the British and
= French ENJOYS that Italy would
continue to support the Allied pro-
gram. especially on the question of
the Turkish Straits.
Four Of the conference subcom-
nlittees met during the day. Their
deliberations referred to the Ottoman
debt. capitulations. transport and
J. the exchange OF Turkish and Greek
civilian populations from the terri
tory that will change sovereignty
under the new treaty
A report was circulated in British
quarters that General Townshend.
who recently arrived and established
headauarters a. the Hotel Savoy,
was acting as liaison officer between
the Turks and the Russians. Ac-
cording to this report. Townshend
was attempting TO mediate.
When the British officer heard
this report he issued an emphatic
and indignant denial.
There was a disposition on the
part of the British to believe that
Ambassador Child's speech has
cleared the atmosphere and that 1t
should be known definitely within
the next forty-eight hours whether
the conference is going to be a sue
cess or a failure.
RUSSIA HAS NOT GIVEN Up.
The Russians have not given up
their fight. Tchitcherin'S state
ment that Ambassador Child's dec
laration was worthy of further
study was accepted in some quarters
as an indication that the Russians
were preparing counter proposals TO
submit on Friday.
The next is up to the Turks. They
have not yet presented their own
viewpoint on the Turkish Straits
and they have been advised by
the French and British to do so
tomorrow without attempting to al
low the Russians to speak for them.
Ismet is in communication with
Mustapha kemal Pasha and the
members of the Angora cabinet, but
interchange of messages is difficult
and are often long delayed. II is
understood that the allied advisers
of the Turks at Constantinople have
warned them against a Russian
splot" to seize the Black Sea.