Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-03
B0RAH DEFENDS OIL
INQUIRY TO GALES
Denies Reflection on State
Department in Request
for Information.
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

Senator Borah or Idaho, chairman
of the Senate foreign relations commit
tee, in a special interview with the
writer, explained today why he had
communicated with President Gales
Of Mexico for information with respect
to the oil land controversy.
II had no intention" he said, "to
reflect In any way on the Department
of State. wanted certain informa-
ton and wanted to get it direct. ]
recognize that some of the informa-
ton which comes through diplomatic
channels Is sometimes Inadequate be-
cause oftentimes our representatives
abroad feel called upon 20 supply only
that information which sustains
particular policy.
Met Gales In Capital.
II met President Gales when he was
in Washington. I felt sure / could
get the necessary data by telegraphing
him direct. Now as to the right OF
United States Senator to seek in
formation anywhere he pleases, l can
not for a moment concede that this
is in any way prohibited by law. 1t
is all question of propriety and for
each Individual Senator to decide what
the proprieties are. For instance, l
would not attempt to communicate
with another government if we were
negotiating treaty or had some other
matter Directly under consideration.
Il sent for the statistics on MeXi.
can oil concessions because / was
inclined to doubt some of the state
ments made by the oil companies in
New York. l got the information in
January for my own use. l was not
sending an official communication as
chairman of the Senate foreign re-
lations committee, but as an individual
Senator have the right to inform my
self.
Cites Lodge Correspondence.
"Why Senator Lodge used to keep
up constant correspondence with
other Europeans during the time the
Versailles peace conference was going
on and he read the letters to us in the
Senate foreign relations committee
Senator Sumner communicated with
the British government during the
Mason-Slidell affair.
LAS for the Logan act, it does not
apply either to this case or any other
in which an individual merely seeks
iHloTiHdtlol II applleS TO tnOSe VINO
tempt to influence a foreign gov.
ernment's policy. Inasmuch as a pri.
vate citizen or newspaper can seek
information from a foreign govern
ment, 1t cannot be contended that a
Senator has less right than private
citizen"
Silent as to Reply.
Senator Borah did not care to dis
cuss the propriety of the Mexican
Presidents reply to him instead of
through the Department Of State He
said, however. that he had received
many communications from various
foreign officials. particularly Juan Sa-
casa, the head of the rebellion in
Nicaragua. He did not answer Sa-
casa. but in the case of letters from
China and Russia, he had acknowl-
edged them. though in none of these
cases was the correspondence at his
initiative.
Senator Borah made 1t clear also
that his sole object in pursuing the
Mexican controversy was to clear up
whether the American Government
was lending its support to oil compa-
MES whose titles were really invalid.
When / go to the Department of
State" he said. they give Inc data,
but they insist that 1t be kept conf
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