OCR Text |
Show Be Japan Secretly Secured Treaty With Allies in 1917. ACT DISHONORABLE Pressure to Obtain Shantung Shan-tung Transfer Explained Ex-plained by Pledges. WASHINGTON. July 1 5 A charge that Japan secretly secured pledget from Groat Britain, Frfmce, Italy ari Russia early in 1917 that in the peat settlement Shantung peninsula should. for certain considerations, be turned over to the Tokio government was made in the senate today by Senator Norris, Republican, of Nebraska, who produced what he declared to be copies j of diplomatic correspondence embody-; ing the promises of Great Britain and France. These pledges, the Nebraska senator said, fully explained ihe pressure j which resulted in Shantung's transfer to Japan under the Versailles treaty, whose ratification by the senate, he asserted, would write "the blackest page in the nation's history " i Pressuf-c Brought to Bear. Great Britain's influence n the matter, mat-ter, he charged, was secured by Japan's Ja-pan's -MipiKirt of British claims to Pa ! cific islands south of the equator,' while France's aid was purchased by a promise of the Tokio government to help draw China into the war so thdt German ships in rhinese harbors would be available for carrying troops and provisions to France. "On the 27th day of January'. 1917." said Senator Norris, 'the Japanese minister of foreign affairs at Tokio, ;ppnached the British ambassador located lo-cated at that place with a view of bringing abont an agreement with the British government. The British min-j ister cabled to his govi rnment at Lon-: don and lifter receiving instructions from his government, wrote the Jap anese government as follows: British Ambassador's Letter. " 'British embassy, Tokio, Februar 16. 1917. "'My dear excellency: "'With reference to the subject of our conversation of the 27th ultimo his Britannic majesty's government gov-ernment accedes with pleasure to th, request of the Japanese government for an assurance thai LhOj Will sup-1 port Japan's claims in regard to the disposal of Germany's rights in Shan lung and possessions in the islands north of the enuator on the occasion of the peace conference; lt being understood un-derstood that the Japanese government govern-ment will in the eventual peace settlement set-tlement treat in the same .spirit Great Britain's claims to the German islands south of the equator. " 'I avail myself of this opportunity. M Lo Ministre to renew to Your Ex-cellencv Ex-cellencv the assurance of my highest consideration. (Signed) " 'CONYINGHAM GREENE. "'His Brittanic Majesty's Ambassador.' Ambas-sador.' Japanese Send Reply. On the 21st. day of February. 1917.; the Japanese government replied to this communication of the British gov-1 trnmeiit as follows (omitting formal I part) " The Japanese government Is deep- j ly appreciative of the friendly spirit' in which your government has given assurance and is happy to note it as fresh proof of the close ties that unite the two allied powers. I lake pleasure pleas-ure in stating that the Japanese government gov-ernment on Hs part, is fully prepared to support in the same spirit the claims which may be put forward at the peace conference in regard to the German possessions in the islands south of the equator, "While the Japanese government was waiting for a reply from the British Bri-tish government it proceeded also to negotiate with the other allied governments. gov-ernments. Its message to the French ambassador at Tokio wa-1 signed by the Japanese foreign minister and was as follows " 'The imperial Japanese government proposes to demand from Ger-I Ger-I many at the time of the peace negotiations nego-tiations the surrender of the territorial territor-ial rights and special interests Ger-, Ger-, many possessed before the war in Shantung and the islands situated ; north of the equator in the Pacific ocean. " 'The imperial Japanese government j confidently hopes government of the French government, realizing the j legitimacy of these demands, will give assurance that, her case being proved, ! Japan may count upon Its full support in this question. i " 'It goes without saying that reparation rep-aration for damages caused to the life 1 and property of the Japanese people , by the unjustifiable attacks of the enemy ene-my as well as other conditions of ! peace, of a character common to all the entente powers, ae entirely out-I out-I side the consideration of the present i situation." a tew aays uiei tne brencn am bassador replied to the Japanese for- I eign office as follows' " 'The government of the French re- j public Is disposed to give the Japanese; government its accord In regulatinv; at i the time of the peace negotiations questions vital to Japan concerning Shantung and the German islands in the Pacific north of the equator. H also agrees to support the demands of the imperial Japanese government for the surrend r of the rights Germany possessed before the war in this I :hi-Dt :hi-Dt province and these Islands. ' 'M Briand demands, on the other hand, that Japan give ils support to! obtain from China the breaking of its diplomatic relations with Germany and that it give this act desirable significance. signifi-cance. The consequences of this in china should be the following " 'First, handing passports to the: German diplomatic agents and con-' sula. " Second, the obligation of all un-! der German jurisdiction to leave Chi nese territory'. " Third, the internment of German mips m Chinese ports and the ultimate ulti-mate requisition of thse ships In order to place them at the disposition of the ( allies following the example of Italy i and Portugal, According to the in- j tormation of the French government, there are fifteen German ships in Chines., Chi-nes., ports totalling about 40,000 tons. "'Fourth, requisition of ;ermui commercial houses established In china forfeiting the right of Germany in the concessions she possesses in en tin parts of China ' Comply With Request "Upon receipt of this communication the foreign minister of Japan on br j half of Japan, promised compliance with ihe request of the French government gov-ernment contained in this letter. Similar Simi-lar negotiations were entered with I similar results with Italy, although the' negotiations with Italy took place in! Rome and not in Tokio Similar agreement also was made with Russia Dad II must be remembered that, at that time Russia was still in the war and it was anticipated that at the close Of the war she would have a place at the peace table. "It is thus clearly disclosed that while these leading governments of the world were inducing China to get into the war, in order that they might Secure her assistance and particularly that they might be able to get posses sion of the German ships itnerned in China's harbors, they were secretly plotting among themselves as to her destruction as soon as she had complied com-plied with their wishes and the war vas over. In all the annals of history, I do not believe there is recorded an Instance of a more disgraceful and dishonorable dis-honorable agreement to carve up the U rrltory of an enemy, but of an allied friend. "And if we approve this wicked d'- t ree, is it any defense to say that Wei were the only member of the court j that was not bribed? If we ratify this treaty as it stands, we approve not only the judgment, but the reprehensible reprehen-sible method by which it was brought about. Should this treaty a.s it stands become operative and later the thirty millions of Chinese in Shantung should iebei against the rule of Japan and then if the balance of China should go io the assistance of their own brethern in attempting to overthrow' ihe unlawful and cruel rule of a foreign for-eign government, then under Section I 10 of the league of nations as it now stands, it would be our duty to contribute con-tribute American lives and American blood on the battlefield to assist Japan to retain her power. "This treaty should rro bacti. and I believe if the American people could h ue an opportunity to see all the vice that it contains and were able to express ex-press their patriotic sentiments, it would go back practically b a unani-i mous vote. When the honest citizens of GreAt Britain, of France and of! Italy realize the injustice that it contains con-tains they will unite with us iu do-' mandlng that it be rejected." While declaring he favored the general gen-eral Idea of a league of nations, Senator Sena-tor Norris said he considered the Versailles Ver-sailles covenant contained many Objectionable Ob-jectionable features and would Wlte lor changes in it .-, I |