The Washington times., 1923-03-14
JAPS ALSO
DISP|J
GRANT
State Department Worried by
Soviet Concession to Sim
clair Interests.
BY HARRY i. ROGERS,
& Tmkar,,n tinnal Nevve Service.

81
The Saghalin oil situation, al
ready complicated by rival Ameri-
can and japanese claims, today
became even more delicate when
Great Britain took . hand in the
international tangle.
Contest Sinclair Claim.
The right acquired from Soviet
Russia by the Sinclair OIL Company
to exploit the rich fields OF the
northern half Of the Siberian island
are now disputed not only BY the
Japanese government. but also BY
two large British syndicates. backed
BIZ the British foreign office.
With energy characteristic where
oil Ii concerned. the British gov
ernment Is expected to push the
claims Of its nationals and inter-
Asttng developments seem certain.
Have Prior Concession.
The British claim Is based upon
an alleged prior concession. granted
In 1903 BY the CxaFist government
to the Second EaghaIin Syndicate,
4 Ltd. which later transferred 4 Dor.
ton ~ it, stock to the Sarhaiin
Oil Fields. Ltd.
Not only was the concession ee.
cured IN due form. according to
the British declaration. but the
companies interested have Srent
large sums In sending out drilling
edttiOns with d number of Eng.
nsh drilling engineers. These op.
erAtiOns. Il II alleged. were inter
Kapted by the war.
laps Hold Territory.
Japanese opposition to the sim
ClMir concession Is based ifr,nn tl,a
Japnneae occupation of the northern
hNlf Of the island. which. according
~ the JAPANESE government. viii Be
terminated only when Japan re-
Cetxes satisfaction Tor the massacre
committed by the H0lsheyisfs af
MlkolatSxek 1T IS contended that
the title oE the American concern III
not clear, since the Japanese were
IA formal occupation when the con-.
cegqicn was granted.
The Sinclair concession first was
Obtatned from the Far Eastern RE-
public Of Siberia. prior 10 its con.
solid alton with the Russian Scviet
Republic, but has since been ratified
w the Moscow authorities
Say Grant il POlititaI.
Ia some quarters the charge ID
made that political consideration
prompted Soviet Russia to grant
the coracepgi0n. the plan being not
only to force recognition By this
United states. but also to efibroiI
this Government with Tokyo over
the question Of the evacuation Of
Northern ga&ha1In. EA'
Support u given fiiisg view BY the
f4kt that while the contract ii for.
q period Of thtrty-six years. the
last article OF the eenaent states
It may be tsrIninAfad BY Soviet
Russia II the United States Govern
melit adopts measures hostile to
Republic. or does not accord this re-
public formal recognition
u. 3. Position Difficult.
Another feature OF the contract,
which il regarded as quite liberal,
10 that the company shall select, by
agreement with the Soviet govern
niAnt, two sites for ports on the
eastern shore of Russian Saghalin,
and construct these ports, which
become the property of the Soviet
government.
The position Of the American
Government IL extremely difficult
While the administration stands
squaSely on the policy Of protecting
American interests all over the
world, II IL on record as opposed to
any nation giving diplomatic sup.
port to its nationals In the acquisi-
ton OF property confiscated by the
Soviet regime. Furthermore, the
United States has never recognized
either the far eastern republic or
Soviet Russia.