867.602 Ot 81/258: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Herrick)56
150. Bristol telegraphs that protest regarding reported grant of concession to the Ottoman–American Development Company has been addressed to the Turkish authorities by the French High Commissioner at Constantinople. Department has not as yet received definite information concerning the concession, which may have been [Page 1202] granted, but apparently the French protest was based on belief that the concession was in conflict with alleged rights of French interests. The following indicates the Department’s attitude in this matter:
- (1)
- The secret negotiations for this concession have been conducted by the business men concerned and this government has taken no part in them.
- (2)
- Judging from the incomplete reports which the Department has received, the concession is not monopolistic. Obviously it is customary to grant rights to construct railroads between any two points to a single interest, and there would seem to be no objection per se to a provision for mining rights on each side of a railroad.
- (3)
- In case a question arises regarding the validity of claims or if claims conflict, the questions at issue should be settled by an impartial tribunal or by friendly understanding based upon a proper consideration of the relative merits of the claims in dispute. Our representatives at the Lausanne Conference have made this clear.
Repeat for confidential information to Berne as no. 22, London as no. 85, Rome as no. 32, and to Constantinople as no. 69.
- See last paragraph for instructions to repeat to Berne as no. 22, to London as no. 85, to Rome as no. 32, and to Constantinople as no. 69.↩