Usa And The
p. 45 · Read in the full issue
Islands
Future of the Mandates
"THERE are three Mandated Terri tories in the Pacific-New Guinea, Western Samoa and the Caroline, Marshall and Mariana Islands. The United States now holds most of the latter, and will continue to do so.
But what of the other Mandated Territories? The following, published recently by “The Argus,” Melbourne, from its New York Correspondent, suggests interesting possibilities. See ■also article on page 3. rpHE United States, after the first World 1 War. tried to have the Caroline, Marshall, Mariana, and Samoan Islands returned to Germany so that it could then bargain with Germany for their outright acquisition, says the United Press Washington correspondent.
The proposal, which was made to the Peace Conference by the American re presentatives, came to nought, and the Islands were mandated to Japan.
The plan for returning the islands was published recently in State Department papers relating to the Paris Peace Con ference, but was overlooked because of the vast amount of other material simultaneously released for publication.
Mr. Breckinridge Long, Assistant Secre tary of State under President Wilson, was the author of the plan. He sent it to Paris with instructions to convey it, with its “very confidential thoughts,” to Colonel House, then acting as adviser to Wilson.
Long suggested that if USA took up the position during the Peace Conference that some of the islands should be re turned to Germany she could, after the Peace Conference was adjourned, come to some arrangement with Germany to transfer the Marianas, Carolines, Yap, the Palau Islands, and the Samoan Group to USA.
If a war indemnity were obtained from Germany, Mr. Long said, the payment of it might be offset by the transfer of these.
The United Press correspondent adds that the proposal has been "brought to light to-day, as American officials are agreed that those Pacific Islands must be kept by USA after the war. They are concerned with searching for a way to reconcile such acquisition with the pledges of the Atlantic Charter and the Cairo Declaration against territorial ex pansion.