The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-07-13
EXPECT To
ACQUIRE
LEASES
Y. S. Experts Said to Have
Hopes Of Soviet Deal for
American Capital.
BY WILLIAM HARD.

The Presidents close friends,
Harry Sinclair, of the Sinclair
Oil Company, and Albert B. Fall,
ex-Secretary of the Interior, hav-
ing now talked with the authori-
ties of the Bolshevik government
at Moscow in Russia, will be pre-
pared to go to the White House on
their return from Russia and to
make a report on the problem Of
the recognition of Russia from the
standpoint Of concessions for oil.
1t is the first time that Ameri-
cans really personally and init
mately close to the President have
visited Russia to study its COM
mercial possibilities and political
developments. Sinclair is a great
friend also of Attorney General
Daugherty.
Expert on Oil Leases.
Three biologists representing the
Senate Committee on Public Lands
are now in Wyoming examining the
justification for the lease which Mr..
Fall. as Secretary of the Interior,
gave to Sinclair for the exclusive
development of oil-wells in the Tea
Pot Dome Naval Oil Reserve.
Mr.. Fall, it is believed, will be of
assistance to the Russian authorities
in suggesting the terms on which
oil leases should be granted be gov
ernments
Mr.. Santeri Nuorteva, who used
to be secretary Of the Russian Soviet
Bureau in Washington and who was
investigated and cross-examined and
analysed and generally inspected and
searched and harried by the United
States Senate when Mr.. Fall was a
member of it, is now in the Russian
foreign office at Moscow and is in
direct charge of the sub-department
having to do with American affairs.
This writer remembers Mr.. Nuor-
teva as a man of the highest uni
versity education and as a man
who intended to write a book en-
titled "Humors of Diplomacy" 1t
10 believed now that one chapter Of
this book will consist of a descrip-
ton of Mr.. Fall approaching Mr..
Nuorteva in Moscow for oil con-
cessions and asking him if he re-
members the happy days when a
Senate committee was finding him
to be danger to the United Stats.
Mr.. Fall and Mr.. Sinclair, before
together and were there discovered
by Mr.. Harry Slattery, Washing
toms well-known watch dog of the
public welfare in relation to oil.
Mr.. Slattery informs this writer
that Mr.. Fall or Mr.. Sinclair, or
both of them, had an interview with
Leonid Krassin, the famous Bolshe-
vik envoy to Britain.
U. s. Will Dispute Control.
Mr.. Slattery also states that Mr..
Fall issued a public pronouncemenr
to the British press, saying that
Britain was moving toward a con-
troll of the world future oil fields
but that America was on its way
toward disputing that control.
1t is remembered here that Mr..
Fall has two fixed principles. One
10 that all public lands should pass
as rapidly as possible into private
control. The other is that Britain
must be prevented by the United
States from getting oil concessions.
II is calculated here accordingly
that Mr.. Fall in Russia will do his
best to persuade the Russion gov
eminent to lease its public oil
lands to Mr.. Sinclair in order that
public ownership may be checked
and in order that Britain may be
foiled.
This writer can state with GER
tainty that nothing would please
Mr.. Nuorteva more than to give
concession to American capital in
competition with British capital
It is precisely what he used to
spend his time trying to do when
he was in Washington.
Will Have Statistics.
This writer else confidently an
ticipates, from knowledge of Mr..
Fall, that when he returns to Wash.
ington he will have a piece of
paper with him containing a list