Bisbee daily review., 1921-11-15
To KEEP
MEETINGS OPEN
DROPPED AF TER
LIVELY DEBATE
Public Will Know What Is
Going On Only When I'm
portant Reports NJ a d e
COMMITTEES MED
Today's Meeting Expected to
Be Last in Which Public
Viii Watch Activities

WASHINGTON. Nov. IA Ty the
Associated Press)-Real wort NJ the
armament negotiations was L err
ed today from the open confe- To
the more secluded precincts the
committee room
After a debate which developed
widely separated views on the advis-
ability of giving publicity TO the ne
gotiations. the big five. comprising
chief delegates of the United States.
Great Britain. France. Italy and Japan
settled on the committee plan. the
only acceptable solution.
To one committee. whose member
ship will be identical with that OF the
full conference, was assigned the task
of working out solution for Far
Eastern questions. Another. compos-
ed of the delegates of the five great
powers, was created to take over ne
gotiations on the main topic of arma-
ment limitation. Since only delegates
of the five powers are qualified to act
on armament limitation in the confer
ence, the result in each case will be
to resolve the delegates into a com
mittee OF the whole"
Public Is Barred
Although no official would make a
prediction prior to the assembling of
che new committees" the presamp-
tion everywhere tonight was that the
meeting would be held behind closed
doors and that the public would get 4
"lin'nse of the proceedings only when.
in their capacity os committee men.
the delegates have an important de-
cision to report to the conference.
The committee plan was said To
have been agreed to as the most q
method of attack on the problems be-
fore the conference, since il would
permit greater liberty of confidential
expression between representatives OF
the various govrnmns and would OBJ
viate much of the procedure that
would be necessary, should the seS-
Sions continue in the open Another
argument used by those who favored
the proposal was that il would faciii-
tate such notifications OF program
ias might become necessary through
changes in the personnel of the vari-
Gus delegations and in the diplomatic
situation generally confronting the
conference.
One result OF the decision NAV be
to make tomorrow's open session OF
the conference the last OF those
which precede the period OF actual de-
"ision of the questions on which the
negotiations hinge. The most Opti-
a. sue officials do not expect dele
gates to report without long study and
debate. II is pointed out that there
is no injunction against an open com
mittee meeting. but the likelihood OF
such development is generally con-
ceded to be remote at the present
state of the negotiations.
To Hear Views Of All
Additional results. at least at the
beginning, will be to permit the whole
body of delegates to deal with sub
ieCts oefore the conference. instead
of leaving the decisions TO the fig
tive" or the big nine" Creation OF
subcommittee are provided in the
plan. however. should that step be
found advisable.
rhe decision to create the arma-
ment committee OF the whole" Was
reached at a meeting OF the heads OF
delegations of the five powers. and
was adopted for the handling OF Far
'astern questions also at later meet
ing of the heads of all nine delega-
tions. II was also agreed that at to-
morrow's open session. an opnOrtuni-
" WOulu De gwen any nat n u ~
= ress its views on the Amer plan
for limitation of naval armaI, .
Details OF what transpired to-
days meetings were kept in seSt
confidence. but it was indicated Sec
retary Hughes. for the American del
egation. had proposed open sessions
in principle. with frequent executive
sessions whose results should b.
made public. Some other govern
ments wanted absolute secrecy and
the committee plan was desided upon
by way OF compromise
The naval armament proposal OF
the American government came BE-
fore the delegation heads incidentally
in the discussion of procedure. and at
the suggestion of Premier BRAND OF
France. it was decided that each in
terested nation should first inform the
armament committee how much OF
the American plan it could accept and
what parts il is considered necessary