Evening star., 1945-05-20
Mandate Problem Finds
US. and Britain Differing
Americans Would Set Up Two Forms of Trustee.
ship Governing Strategic and Nonstrategic
Areas With Varying Controls
By Joseph III. Baird

The fate of millions of so-callet
backward" peoples scattered over the
face of the earth may be determined fol
the next century by the negotiations
now going on at the United Nations
Conference in San Francisco over post
war trusteeships to be exercised by the
big powers of the world.
'Trusteeships" is new word which
has emerged in the lexicon of world
politics only within the last few months
1t corresponds to what the League OF
Nations called mandates" The change
Of phrase is not lacking in overtones OF
an altered philosophy among the one
time imperial" powers. 1t indicates 9
sense of responsibility toward less-ad-
vanced races (perhaps what Kipling
had in mind when he spoke of the
white mans burden') rather than a
cold desire to exploit them. At least
that is what liberal-minded persons
would like to think.
San Francisco is twofold: l. What
disposition shall be made of the man
dates which several world powers, nota-
bly, Great Britain and France, hold I'M
der the old League of Nations? 2. What
shall be the status of mandates over
Pacific territories held by Japan under
the League, following Tokyo's impend-
ing defeat in the present war?
Many Smaller Problems.
Bound up with these two major ques-
tions are many smaller corollaries. They
involve military and naval considera-
tions, trade, "big power" prestige and,
finally, the political and economic fu-
ture of the millions who have, in a
past age, been mere pawns in the hands
of western rulers.
Before going into the details of the
controversy at San Francisco, brief
backword glance at the Leagues man.
date system may be helpful. 1t grew out
of the defeat of Germany and Turkey in
the World War and the need for estab-
fishing some form of government for
lands in the Near East, Africa and the
Orient, which they once had ruled, but
which, the Allies felt, they had forfeited
by their aggressive policies.
Article % of the League Covenant
established the mandate system. The
territories were divided into three
classes-A, B and c mandates-the rank
being determined by the degree of civil
ization each had reached and the conse-
quent measure of local autonomy it
would enjoy. Each area was man
dated" to a certain power, but not
without restrictions. Mandates were
held under the authority of the League,
and each mandatory government was
required to submit to the Permanent
Mandates Commission of the League
annually report on the area under its
control. The League held the power
theoretically, at least-to. withdraw a
mandate if the controlling power ex-
plotted or mistreated its wards.
United States Refuses Mandate.
Under this system, backward areas in
the Near East were divided between
Great Britain and France. Former
German colonies in Africa were appor-
toned among Great Britain, France.
Belgium and the Union of South Africa
Japan was given the Marshall, Caroline
and Marianas Islands group which Ger
many formerly had controlled in the
Pacific, while part of New Guinea went
to Australia and Western Samoa to New
Zealand.
The United States refused to accept any
post World War mandates, although
reserving the right to be consulted about
any subsequent changes in their status.
1t exercised this perogative once or
twice to question Great Britain about
the future of Palestine.
Naturally, it is with regard to the
Japanese mandates in the Pacific that
the United States is principally inter-
ested now, although the American dele
gaticn at San Francisco has advanced
suggestions for a change in the entire
technique of administering mandates,
or "trusteeships," to use the newer
phrase.
There has emerged at San Francisco
a not unfriendly but clear-cut differ
ence between the United States and
Great Britain in their conception of
handling the postwar future of back
ward peoples. This cleavage in view
point is not difficult to understand, for
it is rooted in the varying needs of a
continental land power and an empire
whose very life depends upon shipping
and the exchange of manufactured
goods for the raw materials of outposts
scattered over the globe. In the ideolog-
tcal realm, the difference is explained
further by the historical patterns of
thought shaped by the peoples of a
republic and of an empire.
Four Main Points.
Although neither Great Britain nor
the United States has officially an
nounced its plan for trusteeships, it is
reliably known that they center around
four main points, which can be out
lined briefly as follows:
l. There should be set up two sep
arate forms of trusteeships-one for
strategic areas (naval and air bases,
etc. and another for nonstrategic
regions, which should be administered
under two different sets of regulations,
the United States suggests.
The British reply that this system is
that it is too difficult to de-
fine. strategic areas. The mandatory
powers responsibility to the new
United Nations organization should ap-
ply only to economic, civil and social
aspects Of the mandate, and the con-
trolling power should be free to set up
whatever military and naval establish