Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1921-12-09
new 4-POYVER
ALLIANCE ! [ NOW !!
BEING PROPOSED.
Latest Suggestion Links U. S..
Britain, Japan and France.
To- REPLACE OLD PACT
Proposai Means Agreement on Far
Eastern PoIicy-Tentative Draft
Is Considered by Con-
ference.

VvoObvBuSLOIT"G CIIOTS u IUQ
an acceptable substitute for tho
AnoIo-Japanese alliance has so
diverted the attention Of many Of
the arms delegates az to throw
even the question Of tho naval
radio temporarily into the back
ground. Both the Japanese and
British have shown desire to In
cIude the United States In any en-
tente that may replace the al
lance, and tentative treaty draft
under consideration by some gov
ernments concerned would pro-
vide for quadruple arrangement,
also including France. What may
have been the attitude Of the
American delegates in the behind
the-scenes developments having
to do with the proposal remains
mystery. :
Washingt0n-The question of
three or four-power agreement to re-
place the Anglo-Japanese alliance is
demanding increased attention among
the arms delegates while they wait TO:
Japan to define her position on the
naval ratio
The latest suggestion contemplating
an intent to include the United States,
Great Britain, Japan and France has
tative treaty draft is. under considera-
ton in some quarters. There are in
dications that the Japanese delegates,
and perhaps the British as well, are
consulting their home government on
such proposition at the same time
that they are asking for further IN
struction in regard to the naval ratio.
On the part of the American govern
ment there apparently is no DISPOSE
ton to entertain an Entente proposal.
Later such suggestion may receive
consideration provided it includes no
requirements counter to American
public opinion.
Navy Far East Problems Linked.
Upon high authority it was said that
the naval problem as it was referred
to Toxic after the last meeting of the
Big Three, involves no proposal for
a political agreement Of any charac-
ter but is concerned solely with the
naval and military aspects OF the
situation.
question can be settled Independent of
political issues apparently is not
readily accepted in all quarters.
A British spokesman recently de-
clared that the British view the naval
and Far Eastern problems were bound
up in the same sheaf and there have
been indications of a like opinion
among some Japanese.
TangIe Possible.
It is considered possible that in the
present period of waiting the two
threads of negotiations may become
SO tangled in the foreign capitals as
to give the American delegation con.
siderable trouble in separating them
when the discussions are resumed. 1t
would not surprise some observers if
there should be an attempt to make
the final reply of one or more OF the
governments conditional upon poll.
teal agreement of one sort or an.
other. Y'"is,.,
The proposal for the four-power En-
tente as now advanced is considered
an outgrowth of the suggestion Of
David Lloyd George that the Washing.
ton conference might we'll consider
merging the Angl0-Japanese alliance
into an arrangement to which the Uni
ted States might be part. The Jap.
anese have shown an inclination to
take up that! proposal.
U. s. Policy Not Disclosed.
These hints have never brought the
subject to the point of a formal ex.
change of views, however, nor re-
,vealed to the foreign delegates Just
how far the United States might be
willing to 60 in that direction.
Neither will the American represen-
tatives discuss the question publicly
but they are known to regard it as
fraught with many complicated pos
sibilities.