The Mandate for Yap

The story of the small Pacific island of Yap shows the rather rough interface between Britain and America in a work-a-day world. Divergent interests between nations are quite natural, and, indeed, if they did not occur, there would be a much reduced demand for ambassadors.

The consecutive narrative which hindsight allows – in this case with Yap – is never an accurate reflection of real life, but such was the pressure of other events in 1920-21 that Yap never got anywhere near to the centre of the stage. The Irish Question, the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, and the scramble for the world's oil reserves loomed much larger. It was by being distantly related to the last two of these issues that Yap acquired a considerable clout. In 1920-21 American oil interests were determined not to be denied access to Iraqi oil just because Britain held the League of Nations Mandate to govern that country. It was, as much as anything this interest which stiffened American resolve to secure for US interests rights equal to those of the Mandate holder in such territories, including Yap.