Evening star., 1921-10-03
U. S. Officials Answer Rumor
That Financiers Are to
Confer on Subject.
TALK OF CANCELLATION
OR FUNDING UNPOPULAR
British and French Delegates Are
Likely to Show Interest in Sub
jeet, But Without Result.
BY DAVID LAwRESCE.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Reports and rumors keep recurring
that coincident with the armament con-
ference there will be gathering OF
financters Of all the powers to settle the
question Of war debts Department of
State officials today pronounced these
stories as without foundation SO far as
this government is concerned.
Everything under the SUM- would be
discussed If all the suggestions being
made were TO be acted upon in the
opinion Of government officials who point
out that the agenda already made public
| indicates the scope Of the conference.
Unlikely 10 Meet With Favor.
There is evidence that the interna.
tional financiers OF European countries
financial parley. although. 10 be sure
some American bankers are reported a:
interested. This. however. is taken here
to mean that European financiers are
urging action through their American
connections. For the fact is. the
| American banking groups as such have
not asked our government to convene
a financial conference and there is littlt,
Likelihood that such suggestion wcul:
| meet with favor
Many reasons can he given for TIE
! prevalence of this attitude. First
there was a good deal of criticism
when our government included far
I eastern problems in a discussion OF
armament limitation. Some members
| of the cabinet feared that to include
| tions with Japan might involve the
conference in endless discussions
which would only force into the
! background the real object of the
gathering, namely, a reduction Of
armament
+ This viewpoint has been answered
by Secretary Hughes by arranging
the agenda so that discussion of
armament will go on concurrentiy
with the tackling of Pacific prob
lens. In other words. committees
will work on all parts of the agenda
Will be taken up in no set order.
! Might Produce Antagonisms.
| AS for includinx financial Ques-
tions. the feeling is that the agenda
of the conference already bites of
as much as 1t can chew ard that
to lug in the intricate subject of w.tr
debts might only produce antag
might affect the success Of the other
conferences.
European nations may not as yet
be convinced of it. but the truth is
| our government ia not in the mood
to talk cancellation of war debt or
|
however sound economically the
basis for such action might be. A
glance at what is happening in Con-
| Rress. it is contended. ought to
| satisfy the European financie s.
President Harding's simple reau- st
governments for the paymeA1 OF
principal and interest owed us is held
! UP largely because of a suspicion
! that such power If granted, might
| cradle the executive to cancel the
debts through acceptance OF Euro
! II. therefore. this power isn't granted
| now. how much chance would there
be to get it If the European countries
stirred up the question of cancella-
| ton Of war debts?
| European Interest.
| Issues of European newspapers as
well as cable reports to American
newspapers indicate a much more
lively interest in the war debt in con-
nection with the Washington con-
ference on Armament than is well
come here. Gnquestionably the Brit
| ish and French delegations will be
| composed of men who will be au-
| thorized to find out in the most in
formal way what. can be done about
funding existing indebtedness.
! American officials could not decline
to listen to suggestions when made
at the dinner table or in other in
formal conferences apart from the
| main program. Much business is
transacted that way in international
conferences. but. judging by the ap-
pearance of things today in official
| quarters, such advances will not lead
| to anything tangible. The Europeans
will be told that cancellation is out
of the question at this time, and that
even the talk of funding is prema-
ture. and will be inopportune until
Congress grants the Treasury De-
partment sufficiently broad powers to
enter into. negotiations with other
governments.
| Copyright. 1921