New-York tribune., 1921-11-04
Navies will Be
Discussed First
In Arms Parley
U. $. Ready to Swing Con.
ference Into Substantial.
tiles by Announcing Cuts
She Will Make i'm Fleets
Public Will Be Advised
Plan Is to Let Questions A.
fecting Pacific Come Up
in Their Natural Order

WASHINGTON, Nov. (By The AS
sociated Press).-The policies and pro-
gram of the American delegation to
the armament conference are beginning
to assume definite outline, and if the
expectations of official Washington are
realized, the opening day of the con-
ference will see a sequence of develop
ments something like this: =
Presentation, at the outset, of a
concrete American plan for far-reach-
ing reduction of naval armament.
Consideration, along with this plan,
of such troublesome problems Of the
Far East as may naturally project
themselves into the picture.
An effort by the United States to
keep the negotiations in the open so
that public opinion may exert its
pressure toward practical accomplish
ment.
Salient features Of the American
naval armaments proposal already have
been established, and although details
remain to be fixed, there is reason to
believe the reductions suggested will
be sweeping enough to convince the
whole world that the United States
meant business when it called the pow-
ers into conference.
In Plain Figures
1t would cause no surprise if the lead
ing naval powers found it necessary to
submit the plan of this government to
long and careful study before they de-
termine on their course of action.
Should the reductions proposed prove
unacceptable it is believed likely that
the American delegates, having once
taken the initiative, would invite the
other powers to present in their turn
some concrete counter proposal
All the evidences surrounding the
conferences of the American Big Four
with their naval advisers have pointed
to inclusion of set of maximum re-
duction figures in the plan to be laid
on the table by this government. No
official has been willing to reveal any
details of these figures, but there has
been apparent desire to lay bare at
the very outset of the negotiations the
full extent to which the United States
would be willing to go in scaling down
the worlds naval armament.
The impression that such method
may not lead to an immediate agree
ment has been given color by the ap-
parent intention of some of the otner
powers to pursue a directly opposite
course and enter the conference set
ting high figure as the measure of the
naval armament they consider requisite
to their national safety. Japan already
has indicated that she would suggest
the necessity of maintaining navy
equal to any which might enter her
sphere in the Far East, a proportion
which naval experts say is we'll in ex-
cess of her present power.
Navies to Como First
The naval armament question is con-
sidered certain to be the first to occupy
the active attention of the conference,
but it is not the expectation of officials
here that the live problems of Far
Eastern diplomacy will remain long in
the background. AS the conference is
viewed in prospect, it is believed here
that the diplomatic and armament
angles of the situation may develop
simultaneously, so that, instead of hay-
ing fixed program of consecutive sub
jects, the delegates will fall into the
problem as occasion may bring it to
the front.
| 1t is conceivable among American
officials that some of the Far Eastern
problems may be brought sharply into
issue as soon as replies are made to
the initial proposal of this government
for naval reductions. Naturally, the
other powers will desire to set forth
their reasons for the attitude they
take on this proposal, and in the con.
sideration Of these reasons. the confer
ence may swing entirely away from
(contInued On page thrss)