The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-11-13
By Associated Press

Cambridge. Mass, November IA
Whatever the problems of the arma-
mont conference, an agreement for
limitation of naval armament ought
to be a Comparatively simple mat
ter" says Ambassador Shidehara of
Japan, one of that countrys dele
gates, writing in the current issue OF
the Harvard Crimson.
The ambassador bases his state
ment on the conclusion that the war
lett only three great naval powers,
each on a different continent. and
with none of the real interests OF
one conflicting vitality with the
others"
At THE same time. the ambassador
takes opportunity to outline Japan's
case at the arms conference, her re-
lation to China and the far eastern
situation, as we'll as her place in the
world. He writes:
The Japanese delegation comes to
the Washington conference confident
that the nations assembled there will
achieve a substantial measure of sue
cess and that valuable understand
ings will result, enabling the sew
eral principal nations to live in fu-
ture with less suspicion and dis
trust and consequent armament This
ID the least that can be expected.
But we Japanese are hoping that, as
President Harding said at Yorktown
on October 10, The time has come
when there must be recognition of
essential corporation among ma
lions. devoted. each of them, in its
own peculiar national way, to the
common good, the progress, the adj
vancement of all mankind
Primary Concern
I'VE Japanese are primarily con-
eerned, as America is, with a limita-
ton of naval armament, and 1t is on
this matter that / speak with conf
dence. What agreements can be
reached for the limitation of land
forces is more difficult for me to es-
Innate. But as far as the seas are
concerned an agreement ought to be
a comparatively simple matter for
the obvious reason that there are bur
three great naval powers left in the
world and that each of them belongs
to different continent separated
from the others by a great ocean, and
with none of the real interests of
one conflicting vitality with the 9TH
ers. For these reasons it seems to
me that only most arbitrary at
titude on the part of one or another
country can defeat the main pur-
pose of the conference, and none will
be arbitrary, for the people, as well
as the governments of all three. most
earnestly desire agreement.
There is an unofficial, l might say
public, American point of view that
any agreement must be contingent
problems, and to some Americans
these problems seem greatly involved
grave danger. 1t is hardly within
my province as the representative
of another government to point out
upon a settlement of far eastern
and fraught with possibilities of
to any Americans how needless is
this alarm, but as your President has
invited us to an open and frank dis
cussion, and as the Crimson has left
ffre free to say what / will, / am surS
it will not be taken amiss If l point
out the fallacy of such contentious
as have been launched in the United
States by the doubters and by the
comparatively few actual enemies
of an understanding.
u. s. UnassnflabIe
Intelligent and well informed ma
val men in every country know that
the great war left the United States
proper absolutely unassailable. No
power In the world Is in a position