Tumultuous Reception of Antarctic Explorer's Party on Arrival]
in New York: British Claims to Sovereignty ow York, June 29.
Screaming sirens (rom all manner of craft in the harbour, planes ro Sng overhead and cheering crowls in the streets to-day welcomed the home-coming members of the Byrd Expedition, Mayor Walker at the City Hall effsally congratulated Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, 'Rear-Admiral Byrd reached the Ross Sea in December, 1928, and established his base in' the Bay Whaled. Flights were made almost immediately. During January a flight beyond Score Nunatuks and Alexandra. Mountains showed a new Range of mountains, named Roche feller Range, lying within the Ross Sen Dependency. During February 'a new region outside the Dependency was seen and claimed for the United States under the name of Marie Byrd Land. A geological expedition 40 Queen Maud Mountains was rend-_ ered. as safe as possible by. the '"stablishment of depots at brief in-Yervals (0 within 200 miles of the! mountains, These depots were stock ed with food and served as way! marks.—Reuter, The Anglo-American Dispute New York, June 19.
Returning in triumph from Ante uretic explorations which included an_aeroplane flight over the South Pole, Rear-Admiral Richard E. Byrd and his companions arrived home to-day aboard the vessels Eleanor Bolling and City of New York, Mrs, Byrd went down the harbour in the municipal "welcome tug" Macom and greeted her husband who, when she last saw him, had only the rank of lieutenant-commander with which he retired from the Navy.
Admiral Byrd and other leaders of the party boarded the Macom and steamed up the harbour to the Battery while steam whistles sounded a salute from neighbouring ships, Entering waiting motorcars and surrounded by a police motorcycle escort to clear the way through throngs which struggled for a sight of them, the explorers proceeded through a storm of confetti to the City Hall where they were greeted by Mayor James J. Walker.
After Mayor Walker's formal address of welcome, Admiral Byrd veaponded, Both speeches were heard throughout the United States over a nation-wide radio broadcast, It is expected that Admiral Byrd will soon proceed to Washington to discuss with Government officials the question of possible American sover~ ignty over Antarctic areas—a ques-in which he professes to feel no interest, but one of some moment to certain "American officials wha rejeently evaded acknowledgment of /Brisssh claims in that region, No dispute is considered likely, but it was recalled to-day that th State Department some time ago rebared @ thorough-going repudiation of some British claims to the South Polar regions.
This document was drafted after receipt of a British note in November, 1929, in which the British JGovernment expressed interest in the Byrd expedition and directed the State Department's attention formal and detailed British claims} on seven specific Antarctic areas which, on examination of the map, fare revealed to represent most of the South Polar continent, In these regions, the State Depart ment was informed, British title al-randy exists by virtue of discover; The Department drafted a reply Jjecting to such wholesale clair Sovereignty and citing Ameries plorations hich were considered here to gi the United States a basis for, counterclaims, in some areas. About the time this vigorous} document was to go forward the idea for an Anglo-American naval understanding began to develop. The disadvantages of precipitating a dispute over Antarctic sovereignty at such a moment were obvious and the note was held up.
Several months after entering office, the Under-Secretary of State, Mr. Gotten, learned of the unanswer-British' note and the unsent ely to the British note sent November 15, 1929.
Mr. Cotton expressed appreciation] of British interest in Byrd's extion and then proceeded to evade the issue of sovereignty in a manner which won the privately expressed applause of others in the] department. He said the British reference to sovereignty in the Antarctic had been noted, but, that it
mentioned for the department's in-assumed merely formation and under these circumstances no comment—appeared necessary at this time.
Experienced diplomats said that Mr: Cotton had evaded immediate]
lion of the problem of sover-but had left the question open in such a manner that the United States could raise its claims! at any time.—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.