Evening star., 1925-04-08
j. s. NOT ALARMED
BY JAPANESE PACT.
Treaty With Soviet Seen in
Accord With Rights of
Two Countries.
nv DAVID LAWRENCE.


The United States Government does
not construe the Japanese Russia n
agreement with respect to oil conces-
sions in the northern half of Sakhalin
as a violation of the open door" policy
in the Far East.
The cancellation by Soviet Russia Of
its concession to the Sinclair oil inter-
ests because the latter could not de
liver recognition of Russia by the
American Government, is considered
here to be a natural sequel of the fail
ure of the Soviets to get American rec
ognition on the one hand and the en-
terprise Of the Japanese in taking ad-
vantage of a situation in which they
found it to their interest to recognize
Russia
Although the Sinclair oil interests
are disappointed, and naturally feel
that the American Government should
enter protest against monopolistie
efforts on the part of the Japanese.
the opposite view is taken by the
Government here.
First of all, the American Gov
ernment, under almost parallel cir
cumstances, supported an American
oil operator who secured conces-
sion in China recently. 1t was held
that the open door" policy forbade
any general claim of superiority by
any nation with respect to economic
rights. but il did not prevent any
company from developing exclusively
certain area.
In other words. the Japanese have
just obtained 460 square miles and
American officials are unwilling to
believe that in an island of nearly
10000 square miles. supposed to be
aboundng in oil, that this is mo-
nopoly.
Out of the $50 square miles the Jap
anese have been working only lie
square miles in the last ive years
and have not succeeded in getting
more than a $500 barrel production,
which isn't considered very large
achievement as oil fields 60
Pressure for Evacuation.
Japan owned the southern half OF
Sakhalin and occupied the northern
half as a reprisal against the mas
sacre of Japanese. America acting
as a sort of trustee for the Russian
people, tried to persuade japan to
retire, and eventually Japan did
gree. Now. however, the Japanese
have recognized Russia, and the
Soviets are parties to the agreement
whereby the concession is given, so
there can be no claim in international
law that any advantage has been
taken of Russia by Japan.
The Soviets gave the Sinclair interests
the same oil concession three years ago,
but Cancelled IL in the Moscow courts a
few weeks ago because Sinclair had
failed to persuade the American Gov
ernment to recognize the Soviet govern
ment American officials looked askance
at that provision in the original con-
tract made by Sinclair, and never gave
him the slightest reason to believe that
recognition would be bartered away for
oil concessions.
so far as the American Government
is concerned, it has a natural sympathy
with the efforts of American citizens to
get concessions abroad by legitimate
means, but IL does not use its diplomatic
influence unless convinced that injustice
has been done. There are other parts Of
Sakhalin which can be developed by
American oil interests If the Russians
wish to extend concessions When diplo-
matte relations between the United
States and Russia are resumed there
will be ample time for the grant of con-
cessions, but the Washington Govern
ment refuses to be swayed in it's attitude
toward Russia at this time by considera-
tions of OIL
Copyright. 1925,