New-York tribune., 1921-12-25


every. side that bewildering
multitude Of books upon the "secret"
history. The inside" story and the
real" truth of the negotiations which
~ulna;nate.. in the Treaty of Versailles.
No one can imagine that the aftermath
OF The Washington conference will be
{ all different; therefore, there may
be some interest now in setting down
certain facts, no longer challenged, but
rs yet lacking general public dissemina-
tion facts, which must have value in
estimating the exact circumstances of
the present international gathering
To begin at the beginning, what was
the explanation of the calling of this
conference by an American President?
Two circumstances combine to furnish
lie explanation. Lsst summer an i'm
periai conference was in session in
London and from the-spoint of view
Of the Washington Administration the
main question before this conference
~ al the governing fractions Of
rhs Br,tisa empire was that Of the re-
acSal Of abrogation of the Anglo
Japanese treaty.
AT the same time tae Am .rcan Con-
cress was in session and there was
pending IN the United States Senate
resolution introduced by Senator Borah
calling for conference between the
United States, Japan and Great Britain
ior the purpose of arriving at some
form of agreement which would pro-
Guce q naval holiday and limitation
3orah resolution was; too, as the weeks
passed, eniisting wider and wider ma
sionsl approval. 1t had become fact
which no Administration could wisely
y even safely ignore.
Now the sequence Of events was
shis: The United States quite dis
sreetly but no less plainly intimated
to the British government that g re-
aewal OF the Anglo-Japanese alliance
would be disagreeable, excessively dis
agreeable. to the American people as
represented in the Harding Admins
sration. The intination was covered
by all the clothing of diplomatic usage,
but the inference was unmistakabie.
i.ondon's Response Prompt
And Brings About Action
London's response to this Washing
ION intimation was prompt and two
fold. Directly there came back the
suggestion that the single method OF
avoiding q renewal of the alliance
vas the calling of q conference in
Washington to consider Pacific prob
lerps. Indirectly, the British position
vas made clear by the notable speech
cf Lloyd George, in which he said with
almost blunt frankness that the British
could not honorably scrap an alliance
ahich had been profitable to them or
drop an ally who had been loyal in a
great war merely because the alliance
lyas unpopular in third country
Now here are all the elements in the
problenl. The United States desired
10 get rid of the Anglo-Japanese alli-
ance, the British we're unwilling te
drop it outright. But Lloyd George in
This same speech suggested way out
by proposing Il triple alliance, includ-
1ng Britain, Japan and the United
states, to replace the dual affair Tc
this neither Mr. Harding nor Mr.
Hughes responded publicly, but ther,
came from quarters which we're rec
ognized to be authoritative the def.
s.ite intimation that America was no
making alliances.
Meantime the hint from London 8:
10 the way out was accepted. Presi
aent Harding issued his call for
world conference to discuss tw
sslings-the Far Eastern question
which corresponded to the British wish
ard the naval question, which con
sormed to Senator Borah's resolution
still pending before the United State
Senate. To be sure, the naval circum
stance became at once and remaine
in the mind OF the American publ
'hs chief occasion of the conference
nut by contrast the Pacific problem
mad, not only for the British and th'
Japanese. but also for the American
representatives the real position Of i'm
portance
All the later conhict-and in using
the word conflict l do not suggest wal
or battle, but only the legitimate at
tempt OF each nation to protect it's owr
unquestioned rights-centers about
the difference in opinion between
America and Britain as to the way t,
get rid OF the Anglo-Japanes alliance
We had proposed that it be dropped
We were bound to be best satisfied If i
we're simply thrown overheard. Tn,
British haG proposed that another all;
ance be substituted. AS for the Japa
aese, they waited.
Discussion over Treaty
Involved Two Views
When the history OF the making o.
she four-power agreement, which Sena
cor Lodge presented to the conferenc
a. the pienary session of Decenbe
10, is written it will be seen that iron
Tavember i2 10 December 8, when tn
agreement was finally STRUCK between
rc,s~ %I,o t,ot%Jo x,,oz