The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-08-16
ENGLISH WANT
AMERICAN AND
JAPANESE PACT
Three -Cornered Sort
of Alliance Is
Desired. \
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial to The Argus.)

Washington, Aug. 16.-Great Bri.
tain would like to broaden the An.
slo-Japanese alliance so that in its
Place would be a treaty between
the United States, GEeat Britain AMI
Japan.
Indications of the British desire
nave reached here in a purely in
formal way and threw an interest
ing light on the motives and hopes
OF the powers who will be assem-
bled at the Washington confer
ence.
The United States government
has not been asked to become a
party to the Anglo-Japanese alli-
ance-nothing so formal as that
has been suggested though it is
interesting to note that the Japan
ese press as early as last June be-
gan discussing just such a plan.
The American government is aware
of the British attitude as reflect
ed in the statement made to the
dominion premiers and it is con-
sidered the better part of wisdom
here to make no comment, direct or
indirect, upon the vicissitudes of
British diplomacy.
Yet the big facts are coming out
slowly to show why the Washing
ton conference was summoned and
what were the controlling inf1u-
ences in the conversations which
preceded the decision to call the
nations together not merely on dis
armament but on Far Eastern Ques-
tions.
The most significant statement
from the British thus far which has
not failed to be noticed here is
the following sentence in the sum-
mary of the official proceedings of
the imperial conference of domin-
ion premierS:
In accordance with the sugges-
ton which was believed to have
ernment that the conference on
disarmament should be preceded by
friendly conversations or consulta-
tions between the powers principal
ly concerned in the future of the
Far East and the Pacific, the inl-
perial conference, anxious that for
the Anglo-Saxon agreement there
should be substituted some larger
arrangement between the three
great powers concerned, namely,
the United States, Japan and Great
Britain, discussed these pre-
liminary conversations or consulta-
tions which the American govern
ment had in principle agreed
should be held in London"
The British official account in
dicates that owing to a misunder-
standing as Ito the nature of the
suggested preliminary conversa-
tlons," the British government in
cluding Prime Minister Lloyd
George and the dominion piemiers
were prepared to attend a meeting
in Washington instead of London
and Japan "signified her willing
Eess to attend" But the British Of
fetal summary goes a step further
and remarks that the American
government, however. did not favor
the idea which was accordingly
dropped
Wanted Pact
In other words back of the sug-
gestion of a preliminary conference
al Washington to precede the larger
conference in November was a hope
that the United States would some
how announce her adherence to al
enlarged Anglo-Japanese agree
ment to be a three-cornered sort of
offensive and defensive alliance
The British government saw in
such a pact a way to appease the
dominion 'premiers and at the same
time heal possible friction between
the United States and Japan. But
the American government squelch-
ed the suggestion of a preliminary
conference without even permit
ting the subject of an enlarged An
glo-Japanese alliance to come up
for formal consideration.
So far as the records show, il
deed, there isn't anything formal in
the exchanges between the repre-
sentatives of the United States and
British government to indicate that
Great Britain asked our views.
CONTINUED on Page Four)