The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-02-26
DILL ASKS
SECRET
FILES
Concession Grabbing Abroad
Has Seriously Impaired U. S.
Prestige, ConsuIs Report.
BY JOHN T. LAMBERT,
Cosmopolitan News Service.

Cosmopolitan News Service.
In their mad race for great
stakes, Albert B. Fall, Harry F.
Sinclair, and other Adventures
In oil plunged this country to the
verge of serious diplomatic in
Movements which threatened to
disrupt the happy relations with
other great nations Of the world.
!, That charge, seriously made,
Is being ferreted out by the Tea
pot Dome Scandal Committee.
Senator Dill Of Washington has
called upon the State Department
TO disclose all the secret files
relating to oil negotiations that
may be revealed without jeopar-
dizing diplomatic usages.
Carriers World Fields.
Sinclair but a few years ago was
Q saltwater jerker in q drug store.
He is today one of the oil magnates
Of the world, competing for suprem.
acy with Leslie Urquhart, who has
garnered for England the far-flung
fields Of liquid gold in the remote
corners or the earth.
Sinclair has obtained $4,000 900
acres In Angola from the Portuguese
government, perhaps the largest
oil concession in all history, con-
tanning as favorable possibilities
as the combined gushers of Texas,
Oklahoma, and Kansas. He owns
q couple of million acres in Central
America. He holds concessions in
the northern half of Sakhalin Island.
He is said to have won enormous
grants from the British in Meso-
p0tamia and from the Portuguese in
West Africa.
How Sinclair took Fall with him
20 Russia, paying him $4,000 and
$4,000 for expenses, mas been writ
ten into the Teapot Dome evidence.
They stopped with royalty in Lon
don and other capitals Of Europe.
Young Roosevelt, an employe, was
also sent abroad by Sinclair to ex.
plore the possibility Of obtaining
grants from foreign governments.
Trail Letters Of Introduction.
The name of Roosevelt would be
expected to hold enormous intrinsic
as well as historical value abroad.
Fall was a retired Cabinet officer,
known to be on the most intimate
terms with the American admins
tration.
Senator Dill is anxious to know
whether Messrs. Sinclair, Fall, and
Roosevelt took with them letters Of
introduction from President Hard
ing's Administration which they
may have used to establish at least
q semi official status for themselves
abroad.
Foreign consuls Of this country
are enraged by the exploits Of the
steady stream Of adventurers from
concessions abroad.
The files of the State Depart.
ment are said to be replet with
protests of tn consuls, who say
their own status is reduced to
ignominy, and the rating Of Amer.
lea, impaired by the Versailles
treaty, is sunk to a lower level
by the gentlemen of fortune and
concessions hunters who create the
impression that the money-god rules
this country.
Nations Prestige Hurt.
The impression quite generally
exists, they complain, that this
government ID COUCOEI1cU primarily
In promoting the welfare of in
ternattonal gold-diggers.
That impression has been stimu-
lated by Secretary Hughes insist
ence that Russia must not be recog-
nized until she Vepays the debt
to American corporations and by
the newest plea for liberality for
japanese immigration, which is
suggested to have been built upon
the fear that japan may cancel
$500, 700 900 Of contracts held there
by American firms.
America, unlike England, imposes
no restrictions upon her business
men who go looking aboard for oil
favors.
England insists that it's citizens
shall share their oil with her, no
matter where It is found.
Doheny was compelled to form
q British corporation before he
could take oil out Of the kingdom.