New-York tribune., 1921-11-26
Prominent Delegates Pro-
pose Union Along Lines
Outlined by Executive
in Speeches in Campaign
Approval of Small
Nations Is Sought
Reported That Germany
May Be Invited to Later
Gatherings of Farley
By Carter Field

by Carter Field
WASHINGTON, Nov. 25.-The
Conference on the Limitation of Ar
rmament is to be extended and ex-
panded into the association of ma
tions which President Harding
promised the voters during his cam.
paign speeches last year. Not only
does President Harding himself con-
fidently expect this, it was made
known at the White House to-day,
but the proposal has been made to
him definitely by some of the inn
portant delegates representing the
larger powers at the conference.
The first step, it was learned, will
be that certain nations Of the world,
not represented at the conference,
will be asked to approve the agree
ments reached at the present con-
ference. The second will be to make
meetings Of the conference annual.
Some Of the nations not now repre-
sented probably will be asked to at
tend the present conference before
it concludes. It was made known
that Germany probably would be one
of these.
May Bring Cut in Armies
While there is no such official
basis for this as there is for all the
foregoing statements, it is the belief
Of some Of the delegates that the
purpose of asking Germany is to get
her to take some steps which will
relieve the French apprehension with
regard to future attacks, thus clear
ing the way to a real reduction in
the French army. Such an agree
ment, if possible, might lead directly
to the same sharp reduction in land
forces which is practically agreed
upon with regard to naval forces.
The Harding association of nations,
as it might be termed to differentiate
it in the popular mind from the Will
son League Of Nations, probably will
have no constitution. Certainly there
will be nothing that would resemble
Article X-no written promise to guar
antee the territorial integrity of all the
members.
Written Covenants, Unlikely
President Harding is not so much in
terested in written covenants solemn
ly approved by the various govern
ments. He thinks that nations are
very much like individuals, and his
view on that is that man who would
lid and break promises which he had
made verbally would just as chcerfully
perjure himself or break a solemn
treaty if he thought it WAS to his in
terest to do so.
There is no element Of surprise in
the fact that President Harding de-
sires an association of nations to grow
out OF this armament limitation con-
ference. A dispatch from the writer in
The Tribune of August l last madH
this clear and pointed out that ID
working this out the President would
be carrying out his campaign pledge
Mr.. Harding's idea of an association o.
nations and the idea of calling the ma,
tions to meet in Washington with u
view to shaping such an association
were outlined in The Tribune's Wash
ington dispatches few days before
the President was inaugurated, Mr.
Harding having made his views known
to some Of his advisers at that time.
Favored by Other Powers
The really important development is
that the other powers, through infor-
NAL conversations by their representa-
tives with President Harding, are anx-
ious for permanent association of ma
tions to grow out of the present con-
ference. Care was taken at the White
House to make clear that these sugges-
tions had been made informally, and
not officially, but, the proposals having
Harding, the action at once. becomes,
from q diplomatic as we'll as practical
standpoint, highly important.
| President Harding is knowa to be
extremely enthusiastic about the work
of the conference so far. He is de-
| lighted with the accomplishments al
ready attained. More than he had
expected has been accomplished at
| the present moment, and he is opti-
mistic that much more will be brought
! about.
! The President has not evolved any
| very detailed and definite plan for
his association of nations His vlaW
now, as it was during the campsign
and has been since his election, 10
that no hard and fast program which
might be found impossible should be
set up. For instance, he is not clear
now as to whether an international
court could be established, though per-
/ sonally he has favored the idea and
some of his closest advisers, notably
former Senator Elihu Root nfv one