The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-25
DAWES ADMITS INTERVIEW ON
 RUHR ADVANCE
Says French Occupation
 Caused Conference !! Of Experts


 Press. ss.)-"Certainly I said it," declared Brigadier General Charles G. Dawes, American member of the first commit tee of experts who have been in vestigating into Germany's financial and economic situation, to the Asso- ciated Press tonight. T repeat it; if the French were not in the Ruhr, we experts would not be here.'"
 Dawes had been asked by the core. spondent if he was the expert to whom Premier Poincare referred in. address. ing the chamber yesterday when the premier said that one of the experts re. gently told a French colleague, "we should have been unable to reach our present results were we not in the Ruhr." -.
 T said it as early as February, 1923 General Dawes replied. 'I repeated it to my colleagues on the committee, and I am telling it to you now because l believe it."
 M. Poincare's reference in Parliament to the foreign experts opinion was given great prominence in the French news. papers today, which printed it in heavy type on their front pages.
 The Matin attributed the remark to Reginald McKenna, head of the second committee of experts, who was quoted by the newspaper as having declared to a French senator in the course of pri- vate dinner, previous to the Ruhr Oc- cupation the German people were willing to pay, but the industrials refusing, the occupation of the Ruhr convinced the latter of the necessity to pay. It is the result of French policy"
 The semi-official Havas agency, how ever, in an evidently inspired article this afternoon, asserted that MT. Me kenna was not the expert M. Poincare had in mind when making his reference in Parliament. The news agency added that it had good reasons to believe General Dawes was the expert in ques- tion.
 Dawes Says He Is The Man.
 You can confirm that I am the man," said General Dawes tonight. T didn't know whether MT. McKenna said it; but, as far as am concerned, I did, and I stand pat on it.'
 Asked what he meant by his state- ment, General Dawes said he thought the Ruhr occupation had made the Ger mans realize that they must pay up to their capacity which it appeared they had not intended to do until the French troops entered the Ruhr; also the year. s stay in the Ruhr. had brought the French to understand that occupation itself was not producing separations payments and caused them to recede from the stand taken demanding enor- nous immediate sums and prepared them to consider easier terms of settle ment than previously.
 Thus" General Dawes added, 'had the French not taken the Ruhr the state of mind of both the Germans and the French would have been unchanged and there would have been no occasion for the experts to meet"
 Have you any comment to make on the report from Washington quoting quoting Senator Wheeler as saying you gave tips on oil and steel to certain ad- ministration officials?" General Dawes was asked. ss}iz The general. who had been in a good humor throgEhouA the informal talk, showed his firstRtrace of annoyance. His famous pipe assumed a sharper an- gle as he snapped out few words which showed that he did not even wish to dignify the report by a formal de- nial of if