The daily times., 1921-07-30
NO SECRET MEETINGS
President Harding and Secre-
tary Hughes are Outlining
Principles of Procedure
Which are American; No
body's Feelings to be Hurt
by Preliminary Conference.
(By David Lawrence)
Copyright, 1921, by The Daily

Times).
Washington, July 29.-The United
States government means to deal
fairly by ali the powers invited to
the disarmament conference and
therefore is frowning upon the sug-
gestion of preliminary parley.
Right at the start the American gov
ernment has put its foot down hard
on one of the things that brought
such a deluge of criticism on the
Versailles conference, namely the
practice of few powers getting off to
one side and framing program
which became a source of suspicion
on the part of the other nations who
were not in on the secret prelimin-
aries.
President Harding and Secretary
procedure which are American rather
than European. Having invited all
the great powers to conference, the
American government would not feel
tHdt II was SAdClly ldl1 " nave a pI c
liminary gathering of a few nations
ahead of time. The United States is
anxious to hold the conference at a
time that is convenient to all but
nothing will be gained by :. hurried
meeting early in the fall in which
matters would be hastily discussed.
Whatever discussion there is on the
agenda or program must be available
to all powers. There will be no Sc
cret understanding alliances or en-
tentes within the conference.
Expressions from American sources
along this line were so emphatically
announced today as to leave no doubt
of what will be said officially if other
governments actually propose to the
United States a preliminary confer
ence as suggested in London press
dispatches. Two reasons are advanced
from abroad in favor of a prelimin-
ary conference. One is that the Dom
inion premiers can't wait till next
November and would like to talk over
matters first at Washington or else
where in the United States within the
next month or two and either come
back for a full conference later or
send representatives who have been
familiarized with what occurs at the
suggested preliminary conference.
The other is that melting OF few
ahead of time will expedite the work
of the many later on.
The United States is willing to OBJ
lige the Dominion premiers and move
the date of the conference up to Oct.
or even late September but under no
circumstances will any preliminary
conference be held which includes on
ly few of the powers or which at
tempts to dispose of Far Eastern mat
ters hurriedly while disarmament
questions are indefinitely postponed.
| If any of the Dominion premlers
pass through the United States on
their way home they will be vel
coined and be given every opportun-
ltV for 01SCuSS1Ou WILL IhC 1OoANOAA~
and Secretary of State but positively
nothing will be agreed upon by the
limited States until all the powers
have been consulted.
!, The London suggestion of a pre-
iliminary conference has caused quite
a stir in official circles. Officials de-
clined to surmise what the reasons
might be back of the proposal On the
face of it, the move springs from a
desire to select time and date con-
yenient for the Dominion premiers
But is that all? Some observers here
think Great Britain would like te
talk to America privately with hel
dominion premiers present and frame
program which would enable
Great Britain to proceed discreetl1
in the larger conference wherein she
4 (ConLinued on page Four3