Evening star., 1923-02-05
III. S. AWAITS NEXT
NEAR EAST MOVE
Officials Here Feel Concern
Over Lausanne ParIey
Break.

Advices from Ambassador Child
telling of the rupture between the
Turks and the allies at the Lausanne
conference began reaching the State
Department today. but pending a COM
plete report there was a disposition to
defer comment as to the effect of the
breakdown upon American interests in
Turkey. No attempt was made. how
ever. to disguise the seriousness with
which the situation is viewed in Wash
ington.
I. =. In Same Position.
Presumably the failure of the Laus-
anne conference leaves the United
States in the same position in which
Z it stood when the decision was reached
to send Ambassador Child and his col
leagues there as observers. The Wash =
! ingtou government then stood in a
wholly different relationship to the
conference than any OF the other pow
erS represented.
T. alone had unbroken treaty rela-
,tionShips with Turkey covering the capit-
u'a:ory rights of American nationals in
Turkey. The United States never has
been at war with Turkey and except for
the action of the Turkish government in
1914 in declaring all the treaties OF
Capitulation 70 have been abrogated. the
validity OF American treaty rights in
/ Turkish territory has not been cha!-
: lenged.
The United states IN common with
! the European powers promptly notified
| Turkey in 1914 that the treaties of capt.
ulation We're not unilateral in charac-
ter and therefore could not be abro-
, gated by the action Of one OF the sigma
tories alone. Under international law.
! II was held, the pacts could be abro-
gated only by joint action of Turkey and
the power with which the covenant had
! been made in each case.
Capitulation Treaties.
! When Turkey entered the war as
the ally of Germany the German gov
ernmeut formally accepted abroSa-
tlon of the Turkish Herman capjtula-
| tons To what extent subsequent
declarations OF war against Turkey
. by Great Britain. and Italy nullified
4 the treaties or Capitulation between
those powers and Turkey is not j
| matter i'll which the United States is in
volved for it did not declare war
! against Turkey.
1t is to be assumed that if the Lau-
same negotiations are not resumed
the United States will consider the
question oS negotiating such treaties
as may be necessary with the Turk
! ish government. that procedure hav-
F; ing been in prospect at the conciu-
! sion OF the Lausanne meeting had
! it been successful in producing d
! treaty of peace between Turkey and
! the allies.
: The United States would not have
, been a signatory TO that treaty, but
f; would have shared in common with
| other powers the benefits OF the
! treaty OF peace through d separate
covenant with Turkey.
For Open Door.
: Whether it will be possible now
! to negotiate a separate treaty salts
| factory to both powers no official Of
! the State Department was willing to
/; predict. There is less difficulty in
! the way of such negotiations, how
ever. than in the way of an allied
, Turkish peace treaty. inasmuch as
! the Washington government is not
and has not been seeking TO obtain
ratification by the Angora govern
mcnt of any concessions in Turkish
! territory to American nationals. but
| has stood squarely for the open door
| in the near east and equality of COM
mercial opportunity to all commerce.
In the case OF the allied powers there
/ have been certain concessionary
rights which complicated the situa-
! ton at Lausanne.