Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-01-18
NAVAL PROGRAM OF
JAPAN At MINIMUM,
DECLARES OKUMA
Says American-British Agree
ment Would Be Only Basis
for Reduction OF Building.
TO PRESS LANGD0N PROBE
~ Assoclated - q - EvenIne.

ny Associated Press % Every Evening
Toxic. Jan. l7-American proposals
that Japan, Great Britain and the Unit
cd States take 4 naval holiday is elO-
nient proof that, despite the fabulous
riches of America she wishes n curtail
national expenditures and therefore the
proposals are intended more % help
America than - contribute 70 the peace
~ The world. said Marquis Shigenobu
Okuma. former japanese premier, IN IN
interview hero today lie asserted America
should first consult Great Britain rel
ative 70 the suggested suspension u
naval program
only when an snericar-British agree
aent has been reached, he added, ran
Japan bc IN position - consider this
proposition Japans naval program is
/. fixed a. the minimum necessary Tor
/ national defense
/ Charges that it appears the american
/ government IL giving tho incident arising
/ ont of the death ~ Naval Lieutenant
/ Iangdon At NIadivostok undue import
/ anan are made bv the Okumin Shimbun.
1f as believed the newspaper CON
/ tinues, America goes az far as - bring
+ ~ Japans basic policy in Siberia, in
/ Guiding the question of the evacuation
/ n that country hv japanese troops, i is
+ likely fresh cause for discussion has
/ arisen between the two Cover nents.
/ Surprise at what it terms the 'timldlty
/ Of the government - expressed BY the
/ Hochi shlrnbun, which adds.
The government Is dong evervthlnz Z
/ 20 apologize 20 America when, acCordlnl
/ 20 information reaching Japan, 30 fs4lsli
was found IN the actions Of the sentry whr
shot Lieutenant I.angdon- Apparently
the government has two stOTles-onC
for american consumption and the other
/ for the japanese.
i Washington. Jan. 1s.-Lieutenant ".
Il Langdon, American naval officer who
was shot and killed BY a japanese sentry
az Vladivistok. January 5, was the victim
+ Of an unpr0vioked attack, dispatches 70
f the State Department and 20 the Navy
4 Department agree.
! Both sets Of dispatches were based
( on statements elected from the accused
! sentry by the board Of investigation and
/ court Of inquiry convened by the japanese
/ government. The sentry statements
we're described as III agreement with the
/ ante-mortem story OF the affair by Lieu
/ tenant Langdon IN that the sentry was the
I first 70 FIRE. The sentry, who previously
+ na0 maintained InaI the American Queer
/ fired first, also was reported rs having
told the court Of inquiry be had discharged
/ his rife BY accident.
+ The dispatch 10 the Navy Department
/ fled by Admiral Gleayes, commander-ln-
/ chief Of the .Asiatic Fleet, now en route to
/ Nladiyostok with an American nval court
t Of inquiry TO investigate the shooting
added that the sentry had been recommend
mended for court MARTA. by the HapaneSe
authorities.
/ While the dispatches received yesterday
were more complete than any that had
/ previously reache Washington and while
/ officials expresse graJlccation that an
/ greement had been reached as 70 VIVA
actually happene |, no tendency was dis
/ played in official circles 70 relax the deter
/ mination 70 invest gate the matter thor
/ oughly and for that reason Admiral
/ GleveS, with his court Of inquiry, VIII con-
/ tinue on his way TO the Siberian port.
! State Department officials also continu ed
/ to await a rely 70 the note sent the Japan
/ ese government requesting an eNplans-
/ tion of the incident and assurances that Il
would not be repeated.