Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-04-01
NEVER CONTESTED
|U.S. B|LL,SAYSPAR|S
Herrick Transmits Reply of
France to Note on Rhine
Army Costs.

The French government never had
intention Of contesting the right of
the United States to be as completely
reimbursed for their army costs as
the other governments with troops
on the Rhine" says the reply Of the
French government to the American
note in relation to Army costs, made
public today at the State Department.
The message from Ambassador Her
rick setting forth the reply OF the
French government was the first an
swer received by Secretary Hughes
to identic notes addressed by him last
week to the governments of Great
Britain. France. Belgium. Italy and
Japan setting forth the rights of the
United States to payment on an equal
footing with the principal allied gov
ernments of the cost Of the Amer
lean army of occupation in Germany.
Made a Prior Charge.
Those notes stated that under the
terms of the armistice, as well as by
the treaty Of Versailles and the sep
arate treaty between the United States
and Germany, payments for costs Of
American troops in the Rhineland,
amounting to $241 100000 up to May
1. 1921, was made a prior charge
against Germany, and that the United
States could not consent to distribu-
ton of German reparations among
the allied governments to an extent
which would postpone payments for
costs of the American troops.
The note was given out in the form
Of cable message from Ambassador
Herrick, at Paris.
Reply Of France.
The message gave the reply of the
French government to the American
note in relation to army costs, as fol-
lows:
II have just received a note, dated
yesterday, from the foreign ONCE
stating the French government never
had intention of contesting the right
of the United States to be as COM
pletely reimbursed for their Army
costs as the other governments with
troops on the Rhine. The French
government is persuaded that easy
and quick agreement can be come to
between the allied governments and
the United States on this question
and that it is consulting the Belgian,
British and Italian governments.
Appreciated, Says Poincare.
IN Poincare adds that he wishes
to inform our government how much
the French government appreciated
the cooperation OF the American
troops with the allied troops on the
Rhine; that the French government
greatly regrets that our government
should have taken the decision to
withdraw its troops; their presence,
while recalling the common sacrifices,
could only contribute to affirm in the
eyes of the entire world the essen
TALLY peaceful character of the oc-
cupatfon of the Rhenish territories.
1T is in the same peaceful spirit
without any idea of domination that
the allied troops after as before the
departure of the American troops
will continue the occupation which
has no other aim than to guarantee
the execution of the terms of the
peace treaty"
The reply of the French govern
ment, it was said yesterday by Secre-
tary Hughes, was merely pre-
liminary" to further communications
between The United States and the
allied governments in the matter of
costs for American troops in Ger
many, but it was indicated that
progress" was being made in the
matter of obtaining recognition and
settlement of Americas rights to pay
meflt.