New-York tribune., 1921-11-29
Proposal Looking Toward
World Association Exag-
gerated, He Says; No Tam
aible Plan as Yet Drafted
Development of ariey
Declares European Powers
Are Agreed America Alone
Can Save the Situation
By Frank II. Simonds

feI6ICS iu1A u% 0G w tQStiSQ anu con-
unued, have served to permit the ar
rival at certain reasonable estimates 8
As to the purpose of the proposal it
.sf and the circum stances in which
Il was made. Above all it is now pos
sibls to indicate with some degree of
accuracy that there has been an absurd
srsegcration of what was in reality
IN expression of hope rather than q
declaration of policy or the disclosure
Of matured plan.
It Is not true that there exists at
the present moment clear or even
vague, but more or less tangible plan
for the creation of an association of
nations. What is true is that the
President and the Secretary of State,
seeing the progress that has been made
here in Washington, have both con-
sidered the possibility that when the
conference adjourned, if the present
success continued, there would be some
natural and logical reason for some
resolution or action looking to some
similar session here or elsewhere at
9 later date.
No Carefully Prearranged Plan
To take simple illustration. The
other day it was resolved to appoint
commissions to investigate subjects of
which the extraterritoriality situation
in China was one. Such commission
could not report back to the present
conference because there would not
be time. Thus it was agreed that it
should report to the governments here
represented But would it not be nat
ural that if many such commissions
were appointed there should be a new
International meeting, perhaps In
Washington?
Again, supposing that many Far
Eastern questions remain unsettled
and necessarily nsettled-would it not
be natural that these should later be
discussed in Washington? Finally, a
suggestion coming from some Euro
pean sources, not official, would it not
be worth while to undertake some sort
Of Far Eastern experiment in interna-
national gatherings and make Wash
ington the clearing house for the nee
essary exchange Of official views on
Far Eastern matters?
Now l do not think / violate any
condolences when I say that the under
lying idea in all this more or less
private discussion which went on be-
fore the public disclosure of Friday
was based upon the assumption that
nothing would be possible unless it
should be a natural and logical de-
velopment of what is now taking place.
Even more, the very White House sug-
gestion itself did not come as the con-
sequence of carefully prearranged
plan, but developed itself in casual
conversation and was the expression
of hope, not the revelation of policy.
Europe Hopes for U. S. Aid
The fashion in which Europe leaped
upon the White House suggestion must
We had was the expression Of the
Presidents hope that success in Wash
ington might lead to an extension of
the habit of international conference
and with the extension and expansion
in the list of countries invited to par
ticipate. What Europe, as usual, made
OF this was something quite different
from the American idea and some
thing naturally but not necessarily de-
sirably adapted to European needs Or
wishes.
Every one whose mind travels back
three years recalls that when Mr.. Will
son went to Europe he had only a
vague conception of a league of ma
tions, but that when he returned he
had a whole system, mainly contrib
uted by Europeans, ard, in the view Of
many Americans at least, involving us
in all sorts of European complications.
Now the European reaction to the re-
cent White House suggestion shows
that Europe has again the hope to
fro n f1~
ton, wholly vague like Mr.. Wilson's,
into another precise enlistment OF the
United States in Europe.
Lloyd George Has Mission
Ii Lloyd George comes over, as is
now likely but by no means certain, it
will be with the hope of enlisting the
United States in the campaign of the
British government to bring order in
europe by applying British and not
french ideas to Germany. If the
agenda of the present conference are ex-
panded in the least degree we shall in
stantly have all the fighting now going
en- among London, Paris, Berlin and
Rome transferred to an American field
what each European country desires
ls to have the United States back it's
plans and its interests against the
rival aspirations of it's neighbors. In
ms it is sincere, because it honestly
Deiieves that its way is the only right
and reasonable way. But if we back
any country against any other we shall
oe faced either with an immediate
clash with the nations which feel them-
selves aggrieved or demand from them
Tor a guaranty such as Mr.. Wilson
gave to France in return for French
scceptance OF the American and Brit
ish view as to the Rhine.
Foreign Press Is Pessimistic
From the London point of view, aa
olsctosed in many British newspapers
comments in recent days, the Wash
'.hston conference is failure to date
occausc 1t has not resulted in an Amer
'ssn effort to bring about a reduction
o. u French armies in accordance with
british conceptions and because, too, it
mas not opened the way to an Anglo
association, to re-
Rlace p the Anglo-Japanese alliance.
! rom the French point Of view it has
seen a profound disappointment be-
ssase 1t has not led to the revival
% % the Anglo-American guaranty of
rance against German attack. italy,
100 IS obviosuly disappointed because
ne TOO. hoped to see Washington re-
strain Paris and BRAND meet with
sompiete defeat, instead of getting
way with that quasi-victory incident
. the decision of the conference not
= go seriously into question of land
ornaments.
/, what is not get perceived in America
: = 'ne extent to which Europe regards
ne Washington conference as a fail
are because Mr.. Hughes has rigidly
mo consistently avoided European con-
'a0s OF the meeting and kept discussion