The daily times., 1921-12-24
EFFORTS TO BRING
GERMANY INTO
FOUR POWER PACT
PREVENT AGGRESSION
And Remove From the Mind of
the French and Other Euro
pean Powers Fear of German
Rehabilitation and War
Menace to Europe in Years
to Come.
(By David Lawrence
Copyright, 1921, by The Daily

copyright, 1921, by The Daily
Times.)
Washington, Dec. 23-WOrd has
reached here through unofficial chan
nels of movement under way in
Europe to bring about a new four
power treaty whereby Great Britain,
France, Italy, and Germany should
agree to guarantee each others terri
tory against ''unprOvoked aggression
by any other power.
This plan which curiOusly enough
owes it's inspiration to French diplo-
macy seeks a way to remove the bug
bear Of a possible invasion by Ger
many which has been held forth as
justification for the continued exist
ence of large standing armies on the
continent of Europe. Broadly speak
ing the French liberals who are back
of the plan believe the time has come
to bring Germany into combination
with the other powers which will
tranquilize Europe and aid its eco
,nomic recuperation.
In one sense, the plan recognizes
the unwisdom of the enforcement
clauses of the Versailles treaty with
it's recurring penalties of occupation
, of German territory in the event of
German failure to pay indemnities
The idea now is to obtain some un-
'animity of opinion among the larger
90
ition burden may be more equitably
adjusted and SO that Germany her
self will adopt new spirit toward
her obligations under the Versailles
pact.
The United States government will
of course not be a party to such &
new treaty in Europe as it is the
viewpoint of the Harding administra
tion that guarantees against aggres
sion on the continent of Europe ar
strictly European matters. On th'
other hand the American government
would lend it's moral support to an!
movement which accomplished peac'
in Europe. The suggestion of four
lpower pact including Germany wa
) first discussed informally when Pre-
mier BRAND was in Washington
Heretofore, alliances have been mad
only between friendly powers as al
offset to possible attacks by unfriend
power pact between Great Britain
France, United States and Japan
however, offers a precedent becaus
it includes the very country-Japa
which so many American an
1 Japanese writer's have been regardin
i. as the potential opponent of the I'm
!, ted States.
Mr. Harding has Informally ind
q powers would have to include Gel
: many in their discussions of Europea
n questions and that until Germany Sc
: down at the same table with Franc
d assurance of settlement of pendin
l. problems, especially reparations.
l. In the conferences which have bee
going On in London, the French viev
, point has been that until Great Bri
II ain gave France explicit guarant'
d that she would come to the aid
r France in the event of an attack
le Germany, there could be no curtai
ment of French land armament
lg concessions to Germany. The Britil
lg have declared that the withdraw
lg of French troops from the Rhi,
n country would help to assure pea
~ in Europe.
ay The situation is therefore som
g, what analogous to that viii
h. prompted the four-power pact on t
rn Pacific In this case the French hs
ing failed to get three-power ps
with Great Britain and the Unit
= States guaranteeing France agail
in 'unprovoked aggression, the alter1
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