767.68119 F&M 1/14: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Special Mission at Lausanne

[Paraphrase]

87. Mission’s nos. 203 and 205 of January 21 and last sentence of Mission’s 204 of January 21.67 In our opinion the situation you have [Page 957] described does not make necessary any change in the attitude of this Government concerning capitulatory rights. Continue to cooperate to help other powers with capitulatory rights to secure from Turkey recognition of reasonable and proper safeguards. Advise the Department in case you think that the Allied proposal which you have cabled and which the Department is now studying contains any provisions which are unnecessary or unreasonable.

The Department can best determine after the complete final text of the agreement has been considered whether the United States should become a party to the proposed treaty on capitulations or should include like provisions in its own treaty with Turkey. The latter course would appear the better one for reasons which are indicated in our no. 85 of January 18, 3 p.m.68

Do you feel that in case of failure to secure guarantees to take the place of the capitulations as contained in the proposal you have cabled the Allies would risk a breaking off of negotiations? Is it your impression that if the cooperation of American legal experts could be obtained the Turks would be more inclined to accept the aid of foreign judges in reforming their judicial system?

Try to obtain and cable the text of articles 10–14 which contain the fiscal clauses and article 20 concerning schools, which are mentioned in Mission’s no. 203 of January 21.

Hughes
  1. No. 204 not printed.
  2. Post, p. 1045.