Evening star., 1940-03-03
u. 5. Asks japanese
Il Pacific Mandate
Data Is 10 Be Given
Treoty Requires Focts
Be Stated; Group Is
Close to Guom, Wake
~ the Associated Press.

~ toe ASsOCleteQ fro8S.
The United States Is tnquiring Of
Japan whether she intends to give
this Government information which
she Is required by treaty to furnish
on the administration Of the jap.
anese mandate islands In the Pa.
cific.
Instructions to this effect have
gone to the American Embassy in
Toxic. The islands are the Caroline.
Marshall and Mariana groups
which Japan took from Germany
in the World War. The three groups
partly surround, to the south and
west, the American islands of Guam
and Wake.
The information sought relates to
the calendar year 1898. The last re.
port received here from Japan COW
ers the year 1887. Thus the Ameri-
can GoNrnment's information on
the islands already is mode than
two years old.
Signed Treaty In 1922.
| Japan obligated herself to furnish
the League of Nations an annual re.
port OF the administration of the is.
lands and, in 1922, signed mandate
treaty with the United States in
which she pledged:
| Japan will address to the United
States a duplicate OF the annual
report on the administration of the
mandate to be made by Japan to
the Council Of the League of Ma
tions."
Last year the report, covering
1897, was presented after consider.
able delay.
Japan is no longer a member of
the League and there is some oues-
ton as to whether she is still oh.
llgated to send the League q re.
port. II she does not send the
League an original report, Is she
therefore not released from the
obligation of sending the United
States duplicate?
Say Obligation Carries Over.
But some oficials here hold that
Japan, through her treaty with the
United States, is still obliged to fur
n1sh this Government information.
regardless of what she SAYS to the
League.
Importance is attached to the re-
port because Of the location of the
Islands in relation to Guam and
Wake.
Congress has again refused to ap-
proprlate money for harbor improve
ments at Guam, but the last report
OF Japan showed that important
harbor improvements were being
made in her inundated islands, and
that air and sea communication to
| them was being developed through
subsidies. She emphatically stated
that no Notifications were being
built there.
Lansing Memorandum.
A hitherto unpublished document
released last week by the State De-
partment contained the following
memorandum by Secretary Of State
| Robert Lansing on conversation he
had with the celebrated Japanese
statesman, Viscount Ishii, in 1917:
e~ >AcAAAAf o0Au 1tC tOAu OH Ed
ward Grey (of the British foreign
ofnce) it was the intention of his
government to return Kaio. .Chau to
China. but that no government in
Japan could stand If they did not
retain some of the South Sea is
lands as souvenirs of the war; that
1t had been sacrifice for his gov.
ernment to enter the war which they
were not compelled to do under the
treaty of alliance. He then went on
to say that Sir Edward Grey had
practically consented to the read
Justment Of territory after the war;
that the German islands north Of
the Equator should be retained by
Japan, while those south of the
Equator should 60 to Great Britain"
At the peace conference the is.
lands and colonies taken from Ger.
many were brought under the man.
date system, whereby the country
possessing them agreed to admins.
ter them under mandate, or au.
thorization, of the League.