Evening star., 1921-10-12
PRESIDENT WARNS
AGAINST EXPECTING
NATIONS TOD|SARM
Letter to Inquirer Says 1t Is
Necessary to Deal With
ACtuaIitieS.
AMERICAN DELEGATION
OPENS SESSIONS HERE
conferences Later to Include Pres.
ldent-Defnite Course of Action
to Be Laid Out.

ident-Defnite Course of Action
to Be Laid Out.
! TWO developments in connection
with the coming arms conference
marked today
| FROM the highest official source. the
PRESIDENT of the United States. came
announcement of the expected scope
OF accomplishment by the conference
ior the limitation Of armaments, and
warning to propagandists who are
stimulating expectations of a millenuial
nature. '
Inc American delegates to the con.
.lehce met IN formal session at the
otdte department, commencing a
series or conferences which later vii.
iHCiude President Harding, to Law out
i ueHhlte policy and course of action
Tor lne great international event. Al
loodH meeting Basil Miles was chosen
secretary of the American deIeeation
Upon him viii devoIve from now nn
many OF the details of arranging for
.tis conference which is to commence
November II.
Exposition in Letter.
| ,ireSident Harding's exposition O.
| ,SieEre was contained in a letter to
MESS Ella l.. Freed of Brooklyn. n. Y
VINO sometime ago wrote him abo1,,
disarmament The President replied
10 the letter, correcting her misap-
! ~ ieHehEloh as to what could be effect
eo' ana she came back for further
eiuc:daiion, which the President now
furnishes His letter follows:
Ny dear Mss Freed: Your letters
I'M, o1Hefs mat come to me, sug-
sest Widespread misapprehension
as to the aims of the conference on
limitation of arfnaments In nv let
Ter OF OCTOBER l said to you:
think l ought to correct your
impression about the expectation
OF universal disarmament. Il
Is Yer? erroneous even to suggest
mat W" contemplate going so far
/ as that If we can get reason.
'."ie limitation We shall think that
I great things have been accom-
plisaed,
You replied that my letter seemed
|" nring message of hopelessness'
J 20 those seeking universal disarrna-
nent and asked ma to explain .rea-
sonab !imitation'N
Wants Something Practicable.
BY reasonable limitation / mean
something practicable that there is a
I cIiaHce 10 accomplish. rather than an
! iueaI that there would be no chance
" i'ailEe- IL is necessary to deal
win actualities; to do the best nos
, sipie. Universal disarmament would
ne beyond nope of realiza ton; even
us desiTabiiity at this time might
wei! DC questioned. Thousands of
years OF history recording wars and
CONTROVERSIES of mankind suggest
mat human nature would recujra
revolutionary reorganization to make
uhlNe! Sal dlsat1,la ment possible. A
tbi,S,ueraiion ti'a 5i OF the present state of
tne world must, think. enforce the
conclusion that this is not a hopeful
time to undertake that kind of reyo-
luton.
on the other hand. a world with
the horrors of recent experiences
scared into its mind. and staggering
under the load of debt and arma-
ments. has generously justified our
nope for a favorable attitude toward
me ri!e = praSt!eai 81 effort, the sincere begin
nnihs' mat We are attempting. The
me spirit in which leading nations
nave received the invitation to meet
aaa ma, consider ,dei, these things is ALTO
the impossible and fail might leave
our last state worse than our first,
The attitude. of the nations warrants
confidence that We viii not fail, but
rather that substantial results Will
be accomplished. calculated to lessen
the armament burden and to reduce
the danger of armed conflict feel
that In such an effort we are enti-
lled 10 the support of all people who
would be glad-as | can assure Won 7
wouid-to see still more accomplish
ed IL possible. Most sincerely yours,
WARREN G. HARDING."
DeIuEed With Communications.
The President has recently been
delused with communications along
the line of Miss Freed's letter and
his answer to her constitutes the last
word to those who look for more than
the President thinks can be reason
pYnectp1 he
Basil Miles, secretary of the Ameri-
can delegation to the arms limitation
conference. has been one of the spe-
cial assistants in the Department of
State since August, working upon de-
tails of the meeting.
Mr. Miles was in the American dip
lomatic service for seeral years, was
special assistant to the ambassador
at Petrograd with the rank of minis
ter plenipotentiary early in 1917, sec
retary of the special (RooD mission
to Russia in the summer of 1917. and
in the autumn of that year was ap-
pointed chief of the division of Rus
sian affairs in the Department Of
State. where he served in that ca
pacity until December, 1919.
Delegates Arrive Here.
Responding to call issued yester-
day by Secretary of state Hughes,
designating the President as the head
Of the American delegation. the dele
gates arrived at the department at
10 o'clock. Senator Underwood was
the first to arrive. and Elihu Root
the last of the quartet. The former,
on passing through a group Of news
paper correspondents gathered to re-
port the first formal phase Of Ameri-
can participation in the conference,
remarked: Well. l see you are ali
on deck"
The delegates. after gathering in
one Of the larger rooms at the depart
ment. went outside the building for
what is often the initial act ip the
convening of official bodies in tho
United States-the taking Of a group
Today's meeting was designed to do
no more than scratch the surface OF
the problcs ahead Of the Americas
II was called TO perA
nit Of a preliminary survey OF the ssSs
uation and OF "a general outline Of the
things To- bc done. President Harding
has communicated hlr ideas through
Mr. Hughes. aud memoranda were
ayaiiabl. covering various points OF
technical information. but personal IT,
tsrVlswH with the President and witS
military aud naval experts we're paH
of the delegations plans durins "a
rioa ~ preparation
sAmCa vAAttANQ anAvAn