File 2249/1915 Pt 4 ‘Oil: Mesopotamia & Persia. (General File) 1920–24’ [‎31v] (62/484)

.14
8. Tile suggestion that Great Britain dining P“'°£
occupation o£ the mandatory territories has been prepann,, t claims
control ot their oil resources is equally devoid of be, are
td™tl" no outbreak of
impression: whth'^P-r to
country^being 1 owned by ^^ip^g^^^^^^'Gnied^S^ntos^produc^s^ome
^O^'er” ent S'the ^ori™ outpth Wdes which United States.companies
7 iJ awn least three-fourtlis of the Mexican output, are estimated to
who own at least ttiree-tou wor i d ’ s output. This overwhelming
produce 0 f the petroleum production of the world m
fnl" fonCl »d the predominance 1 of the United States in
threaten American supremacy, and any pppheci«, as to the .
resources of countries at present unexplored and quite undeveloped
accepted with reserve. ,,
in The nervousness of American opinion concerning tie o
o-rasnino’ activities of British oil interests appears singularly unintelbgi _
fn vFew°of these facts and yet it is notable that the United States, notwi a-
standing their assured supremacv, have taken powers to reserve for American
inteiesto e rid t to drill for oil in United States domain lands and have
on Various occasions used their influence in territories amenable to.the *
control with a view to secure the cancellation of oil concessions previously
and legitimately obtained by British persons or companies. Thus on t
oc.cnnation of Havti by United States forces m 1913 , the United Stat .
Snistathn refused to confirm an oil concession wlimh Imd been approved
hv the Haytian Government and Legislature and foi which the cant
money hadheen deposited in the republic- and more geceotly the United
States representatives at San Jose urged the present Costa it man
ment to cancel all concessions granted by the previous Governmen,
only concession in question being an oil concession granted to a Bi .
3 H Yerv different has been the attitude of the British Government,
In assuming "the administration of the occupied Turkish territories they
have remained fully alive to their obligation, as a temporary occupant, to
protect not onlv the natural resources of the country against indiscriminate
exploitation but also the absolute freedom of action which the authority to
be 1 created eventually for administering those regions would have rightly
expected to enjoy. . , ,
12 Mindful of this obligation, His Majesty s Government have
found it necessary to suspend during the period of occupation the-grant of
a™itieUnd opphtunitfk to British as well as to other private interests to
investigate the natural resources of the country with the view of acquiring
new claims or strengthening old ones, and there is no reason foi assuming
fhTt the AdminiSion either of Mesopotamia or of Palestine has at any
time failed to carry out the polilcy which has been laid down by His
Majesty’s Government. _
13 I will now refer to the propositions eniimerated by you on which
discussion is invited and which have been put forward with the object ot
omaranteeing to the commerce of all nations the practical fulfilment m the
mandated regions of the principles of equal treatment m law and m fact
Reference is made in this connection to the desirability of the adherence o
the mandatory Power to the principles expressed and agreed to during the
peace negotiations at Paris, as well as to the principles embodied in man
date (A) prepared in London by the Commission on Mandates, for adoption
by the League of Nations.
14 I would first point out that, in consequence of a divergence of
views the Commission on Mandates proceeded no further with the drait
of the mandate form (A), which was consequently abandoned.
15 The drait mandates fdr Mesopotamia and ioi Palestine, whifch
have been prepared with a view to secure equality of treatment and oppor
tunity for the commerce, citizens and subjects of all States who are mem-
bers of the league of Nations, will when approved by the Allied Powers
interested, he communicated to the Council of the League of Nations. In
these circumstances, His Majesty’s Government, while fully appreciating
the suo-o’estion for discussing with the United States Governmnt the various
propositions’ mentioned hv you, with which they are m full sympathy, are