Evening star., 1921-08-13
Mr.. HUGHES NAMED
DELEGA4ION'SHEAD
Others to Represent Nation
at Disarmament Meeting to
Be Chosen Soon.

Secretary OF State Hughes has been
designated by President Harding as
the head of the American delegation
to the disarmament conference here
November II. and in making the an
nouncement last night the White
House set at, rest conjectures to the
effect that the President would him
self take part in the conference as a
delegate.
While President Harding's role in
the negotiations never has been off,
cially defined, his designation of Sec
retary. Hughes confirms the belief
that he will remain IN the background
at the proceedings after an address
at the opening session. thereby leaY-
ing direct contact with the foreign
commissioners to his accredited rep
resentatives.
Will Be I'm Close Touch.
1t will be recalled that President
Poincare of France. after opening the
Versailles treaty, retired from active
participation in the negotiations, and
President Harding's position will be
somewhat analogous to that taken by
the French president. By keeping
away from the details incident to the
conference and at the same time re-
naming in close touch, through his
advisers. with the more important de-
velopments, Mr.. Harding. 1t is believ-
ed. can conserve his efforts for the
time which may come when he could
act as mediator for the delegation in
any disagreement that might threaten
the success of the conference.
Other members of the American
delegation are to be chosen, and it is
known that the President has mar
rowed his list of those available to
the point where selection may be
made within very short time. He is
understood to have decided that one
of the places shall go to a United
woman as a delegate is still con-
sidered well within the range OF pos
sibility.
Task for State Department.
Not only has the President placed
Mr. Hughes at the head Of the Ameri-
can delegates, but he also has turned
over to the State Department the task
Of clearing away all the details re-
naming to be disposed Of before the
that the chief executive intends to
supervise only the, more important
moves and has encouraged the depart
ment to work out lesser problems on
its own responsibility.
One of these problems. which
threatens TO occupy the attention Oh
a large staff before 1t is solved. was
tackled by the department yesterday.
when 1t offered its aid in the en-
bassies and Legations Of the invited
nations in securing suitable quarters
and. other accommodations for the
visiting delegations. Each of the
powers is expected to send large
corps Of expert clerks and another at
taches with its commission. and the
task of providing them not only q
place to live, but Office space as well.
may require an extensive survey OF
housing facilities.
Scope Of Conference.
While replies were awaited to the
formal Invitations, speculation in DIP
lomatic circles here was concerned
chiefly with the scope which may be
taken by the conference under the
terms laid, down by the invitations.
The most lively topic OF discussion
was the statement IN the text OF the
invitations that there should be con-
sideration Of matters which have
been and are Of international con-
cern."
J In the absence of any interpretation
by the State Department, diplomattsts
were not, inclined to predict that the
American government would seek
to include incidents automatically
closed as among those which might
properly come before the conference.
Had the phrase read have been or
are OF international concern" instead
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