The New York herald., 1921-02-08

New York Herald Buresl, lt
London. Feb. ~ f4
Sir Auckland Geddes. British AM
bassador TO the United States. IA rs~
turning to America aboard the sssam
ship Aquitania with Lord ChSlnegs
permanent Secretary of the Rtil.Fsa
Treasury, to-day week THE M
YORK HERALD correspondent herh isan4
formed that when they reaAls ti&N
United States they will be prepared Nv
discuss arrangements" regarding ths
war debts, certainly with full r1Sers
to act for Great Britain and I,cSaiDix
for Britain's allies. Also it wal asser14
ed authoritatively that no offic at sn21-
ative will come from them asking for
a cancellation of Great Britain's debt
TO the United States.
The official attitude here is that
while Great Britain would welcome an
all around cancellation OF war debts,
even including the German indersniIy
she is not proposing such canceat4t10n
herself and is making full budget plAaIs
TO meet her own transatlantic naMfug1
ties. whether or not the maturities que
to her from the Continent eneirl AZ
well as allied-materialize.
would Accept $4,000 900, GOO.
1t is even further understoosi tni
the British Treasury is not even cop.
tempiating the possibility of any plan
involving the cancellation of any Hrts-
ish Government securities SOLD pec
the counter to the American HlrilN
What II might consider would bt An
offer from the United States TO chnwws
off the $4,000. 100000 owed 10 tNs
American Government on simplenote
OF hand
In official quarters most deeply con-
cerncd with these negotiations rsgret
was expressed over the statememkr,by
Austen Chamberlain. Chancellor az the
Exchequcr. in Birmingham last week
that the United States has refused 10
cancel Great Britain's war debt This
statement by Mr.. Chamberlain wHs
characterized as technically inaccui AVA
inasmuch as a discussion of war dcsf
cancellations has never reached anY.s
thing bordering on an official form
First suggested by French
II is now known that the questihs Az
an al round cancellation OF the sn'aT
war debts was first broached in Pain
February. 1919. from French quar d,
u fognd no response in American t
ration circles thcn. and il was 4
formally discussed and probably ~
,vr rcacAcd t,c ascnda OF The info,
conference OF amy but subordinate nem-
bcrr Of tle various delegations M
Again a year later Alr. Rathbone. thcn
representing the United states in certain
work connected with the Treaty Of vcr-
sailles I'm Paris was approached By =
British source and asked in purely iu-
formal way about the possibility Of
carrying out such a suggestion Mr.
Rathbone replied that II would Dc politi-
cal suicide for any one to suggest such
thing in the United STATES az lisf
time. The British saw the wisdos. I'M
his remark and dropped the stEAet
which was never brought up again
u was explicitly denied in autho1N
tive quarters that the recen; discus ston
British source. Air. Chamberlain c
marks In Birmingham that Grea, HrItA,a
had formally proposed n cancellatIQn ct
all interallicd debts, but that tho uAifet
States had rejected the proposition wtFWM
Interpreted as referring TO either oae W
these previous Instances. II Is cOtalaA1
cred here that Il is most unfortunate he q
did not make this clear. II was insisted 4
that these Incidents were entirely in- v
formal and even irresponsible in char \
aeter
u was suggested hcre-and the sug-
sestion agrees with Independent IN
formation reaching THE NEW York
iiEnALD's correspondent herc--tha. ts
present discussion OF proposed debt caa-
cellations started in America and is ccr-
tired there in iml ortau; banking ami
financial circles which are 1ismayed ry
American irability TO sell cr TO do busi-
ness with Europe At tho present ratcs~ "A;
exchange.
american SncelnIttes