The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-11-20
WAR OR PEACE?
Studies at the Washing.
ton Confsvsnes
No. 10.-Security.
BY H. G. WELLS.


tCepyvisht 1861. By the Press Pub
lishing Co.. The New York World
And Tho Chicago Tribune. All
rights reservsd).
The new and really quite beau
tiful catchword that dominates
the Washington Conference 10
security" The word was bro
duced originally. believe. in
France. France wants nothing
in the world now but security;
she has abandoned all dreams Of
conduests or glory. all aggressive
economic intentions; she is the
white lamb Of international at
fairs. washed and redeemed by
the Great War. Only-she must
be secure.
In Complete Unison.
Great Britain. japan. are In COM
plets unison with France on this
subject. Great Britain asks for
nothing but a predominant neet
and naval arsenals In perfect going
order.
Mr.. Balfour's eloquent speech at
the second session of the confer
ence made the necessity OF this for
security incontroveritible.
Japan wants East Siberia, the
special control of raw material In
Manchuria. a grip upon China. be-
cause she IL driven by the same pas
sionate craving for peace and rest.
We have had this explained to us
very clearly here in Washington by
representative Japanese.
All these powers will accept every
proposal Secretary Hughes makes.
or 10 prepared to make. eloQuently
and sincerely-"in principle"
They then proceed to state their
minimum requirements for that
feeling OF security which In the goal
of all peoples at the present time.
When these requirements have
been stated, II becomes plain that
these States are to be not 30 much
disarmed, as stripped for action, with
highly efficient instead Of unwieldy
and overwhelmingly expensive
equipment.
Gentlemanly Agreement.
They do not 10 much propose to
give up war as to bring 1t back by .
gentlemanly agreement within the
restricted possibilities of their au-
stere bankruptcy.
The French conception of security
IL particularly attractive. France
stipulates, gather. for q dominant
army upon the continent OF Europe,
for q Germany retained permanent
ly by agreement among the powers
at the EXTREMIST pitch Of wretched-
ness and feebleness, for an outcast
Russia, for q series OF alliances by
which such countries as Poland will
be militarized In the French inter-
est rather than industrialized in
their own.
Confidence in British.
And France, in further pursuit of
the idea of perfect peace (for
France) Is training great masses OF
barbaric Senegalese for war, with
the view of using them to police
white populations and sustain her
millennium In Europe. They can have
no other use now. / do not know
II these black troops are to be re-
tanned after their discharge in
France to supplement and improve
the French population or whether
they are to return to Africa.
In the latter case, these trained
soldiers will accumulate as a new
and interesting element in African
life, until some black Napoleon
arises to demand security" for
Africa.
At present, France displays an as
tonishing confidence In the British,
but no doubt. If her amazing peas
ants and her wonderful soil pres
entity lead to partial recuperation,
she will realize the need Of bringing
her now neglected fleet up to Sc
curity" standards also.
And 1t is aximotic among the ex-
perts that no power with a coast
line Is really secure unless II has a
fleet at least the double OF any
other fleet that can possibly oper-
ate upon that coast.
Conceptions of Security.
These statements are not the
facetious inventions of an irre-
sponsible writer; they are fair sam
pies of the sort of thing that the
various Populations have brought
with them to Washington. These
are the things we talk Of and are
gradually talking out OF sight.
And IL the Washington Confer
ence served no other purpose at all
In the world, 1t would have been
quite worth while. in order to get
together all these totally incompar-
able conceptions of security and by
that approximation to demonstrate
their utter absurdity.
Along the lines Of either unregu-
lnN Il