Evening star., 1923-07-18
A Victory for the Open Door.


been successfully defended by Ameri-
can diplomacy at Lausanne. The i'm
mediate result of the negotiations
there between the allies and the Turk.
! ish government, with the American
representative. Joseph c.. Grew, con-
tending for the position of the United
States, has been to halt an effort by
the British to have recognized in the
treaty of peace with Turkey claims of
| the Turkish Petroleum Company to al
legged vast oil concessions in Mesopo.
tamia. 1t halts another attempt to
gain further control Of the great Oil.
| reserves Of the world
The United States government, both
! in the last administration and in the
| present, has contested the efforts of
the British TO have recognized the
Turkish petroleum concession, said to
| have been granted a British company
| OF that name. Practically the only
basis of the claim to this concession
has been a letter written by the grand
vizier of the old Turkish government.
Such letter, the United States gov
ernment has maintained, cannot prop-
erly be. construed as a grant of such
q concession, even If the old Turkish
government were still in existence.
The American government has always
! scrupulously observed the principle of
vested rights, where vested rights have
existed. But in this case its conten-
ton has been that no such rights could
be found. .-
Moreover, the present Turkish gov
ernment, established at Angora after
the old government had negotiated the
treaty Of. Sevres, in which were terms
that the Turkish nationalists refused
to stomach, has never had control of
the territory of Mesopotamia, in which
lies the Oil concession referred TO.
Why, then, asked the United States,
should the British seek to have in
cluded in a treaty of peace with the
new Turkish government recognition
OF an alleged concession in territory
which that government has never held
and may not In the future control?
The result Of the negotiations at
Lausanne, therefore, has been to leave
the claims of the Turkish Petroleum
Company in statu quo, still to be de-
cided. The government Of the United
States is ready to bring the matter to
arbitration, provided the British are
also willing. And In the event of such
arbitration the claims of the British,
it is believed, would fail. But the
American government is unwilling
that the British. taking advantage of
victory over the Turks in the world
war, made possible through the en-.
trance by the United States into the
war against Germany, should in the
peace settlement with Turkey bring
about recognition of this alleged claim.
The settlement of peace at Lau-
same between the allies and the Turk I
ish government is a matter of con.
graduation. The new treaty, while in
sense 1t does not supersede the
treaty Of Sevres, for that treaty was
never ratified, really takes the place of
the former pact. 1t minimizes the
threat OF war in the near east.
The Turks have for many months
occupied a strategic position. After
driving the Greeks out Of former
Turkish territory. which was placed in
their hands under the terms Of the
armistice with Turkey, the Turks have
held on: None of the allied nations
was willing to undertake the burden
of a new war-a war which might
have brought into arms Mohammedans
generally-necessary to drive the
Turks out again. The negotiations
have been protracted, with the Turks
refusing to yield on many points. The
new treaty, it is said, does not settle
the eastern boundary Of Turkey, That
is left to future discussion. If Turkey
becomes member of the league of
nations after the ratification of the
treaty Of peace, as 1t is supposed she
will, then the question of the recogni.
tion of the mandates established under |
the treaty Of Versailles and the league
covenant may be taken up.
The United States was never at war
with Turkey during the world war.
For. reasons often explained, this gov
ernment did not declare war on the
Ottoman empire Nevertheless, todav |
negotiations are under way for a treaty |
with the new Turkish government. ]
call it peace treaty or whatever
other name. may be desired. Such a |
pact is necessary, it is explained, in
view Of the new conditions existing.