Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-07-15
JAPS BALk over FAR
EAST TALK AT COMING
DISARMAMENT MEET

ter the disarmament conference but
withhoIds assent to an unrestricted
discussion OF Far Eastern questions
/ as part of it.
The viewpoint of the Amerfcan
government is that solution of the
, Far Eastern questions is a necessary
accompaniment to any disarmament
program.
Thus develops the first hitch--if a
hitch it turns out TO be-in President
Harding's plan TO remove the causes
I for heavy ornaments and then re-
| duce the ornaments themselves.
American officials, however, are OPP
i timistic that a way will be found for
! q satisfactory conference to which
| Japan will be a party and fora pro-
gram of ornaments reduction accept
able to all.
The Japanese reply to the prelim-
mary question of whether she would
| receive an invitation to such a con-
: ference came to the State Depart
ment today through tn Amrican EN-
/ bassy at Toxic. It's text was not made
!
! ed to reveal it's contents except to say
/ that it expressed approval of the dis
! armament discussion but did not
agree to a consideration of the Pa
citiC problems. During the day how
! ever, it became known that the atti-
j tude of the Japanese government was
known to the government here. This
attitude is that the disarmament
! question is a vast one in itself, and
| that if other questions are introduced
into the field of discussion the con-
ference may be so broadened as to
danger its success. Japanese officials
are said to feel this to be particular
j ~ true if the questions so introduced
are to affect the delicate balance OF
! diplomatic relations in the Orient.
There is manifest in Toxic d belief
that such "A debate might open up a
Pandora box of troublesome diplO-
matte miracles which would set for
! Mr. Hardins'S conference a task of
REIMBURSEMENT even greater than that
attempted of the peace conference of
Versailles
j The alternative. in the belief of ia
panese statesmen. would be to agree
beforehand on exactly what questions
will form the subject matter of the
discussions.
To this is opposed the opinion of
American officials that if all the ma
tons first agreed to come into the
, conference whatever limitations APP
peared advisable could be fixed by
- neral assent afterWard.
/ Just what will be the next step of
the President and his advisers did not
appear tonight. China having ac-
Cepted the invitation Internationally
during the day. however, all OF the in
Vited powers We're on record as agree
ing at least to discuss disarmament
and if was the apparent purpose of
the state department TO regard the
assembling OF he meeting as assured,
and to proceed in due course to issue
notes of invitation in more formal
character
Two courses are open in attempt
ing to bring Japan into full participa-
ton. The state department may
again present the case to her inform
ally and ask that she consider once
more the return of an unqualified ac-
ceptance. On the other hand this
government may go forward with its
plan OF sending out formal invitations
in the hope that the officials at Toxic
will decide they can secure satiSfac-
tory delimita ton of the discussions
after the delegates have assembled.
1t is not impossible that the course
adopted Will include elements of both
of these plans of procedure. There is
feeling here that Japan scarcely
will decide in the end to stand out
by herself among the powers when
confronted with the actual choice OF
accepting or declining a formal invi-
tation. Regardless of whether this
formal step is delayed. it is certain
that pressure will be continued
through informal agencies TO bring
the Toxic officials around to the
American viewpoint.
1t also is manifest that high off
Gals here are Thoroughly confident
they will succeed in constructing a
basis Of negotiations that Japan can
accept
SO far have the officials here gone
in their preparations for the meeting
now regarded as an assured fact that
the attention Of the war and navy de-
partments is beginning to turn the
possibility that they can be of assist
ance in providing maerial for the ne
gotiatOrS
It was said today that the depart
ments stood ready to select experts
to prepare such data as might be de-
sired and to offer such advice as
might be sought in the course of the
parleys.
Another feature of the prospective
conference bObbed up during the day
when the women's committee for
world disarmamnt in session here an
nounced they would urge President
Harding TO appoint a Just represen :
tation of women" on the commission
which is to represent the United
States. There has been no indica :
ton that the President has vet given
much thought to the personnel that
is to speak for this government.
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Testifies Stillman