The Washington herald., 1921-07-18
Far Eastern Discussion
Proves Chief Stumb-
ling Block.
BRITISH BLUNDER is
CORRECTED BY KING
NOrthcliffe Would Bar
George and CurzOn
At Sessions.
Special Cable to The Washington HeraIn
and United Hews.)

fspeei.I Cable to The Washington Herald
and United News.)
LONDON. July 17-Japan's fall
ure to express unqualified approval
Of the proposed conference on Pa
cifc problems, although assentlng
to the disarmament negotiations
has rendered foreign office ofhcials
somewhat pessimistic, although
they have from the beginning ad-
mftted that Japan is the one nation
concerned which has everything to
lose and little to gain from the pro-
posed action in the Far East.
1t is believed that between the
arrival of President Harding's in
vitation to Japan and the dispatch
of the Japanese reply from Tokyo
a bitter struggle occurred between
the Nipponese militarists and con-
servatives, thus delaying the reply.
VIII Exert Pressure.
The foreign office is awaiting dis
patches from its embassy at Tokyo,
to furnish more detailed informa-
ton regarding Japan's stand. 1t
is stated on reliable authority that
diplomatic pressure by Great Brit
ain probably will be necessary tc
secure Japan's participation in bot1
phases of the Harding conferences
Otherwise, the negotiations regard
ing the Pacific problems would be
carried out only by China, Great
Britain, the United States and
probably France-because of her
Indo-Chinese interests. thus either
isolating the Tokyo government en-
tirely or forcing her participation.
1t is pointed out here that exten-
sive preliminary conversations will.
be necessary before even the date
OF the meeting in Washington has
been decided. The British chiefly
favor either late in October or the
early part of November as the time
for the conference.
Did Personal Service.
Conjecture is still rife over the
extent to which King George par
ticipated in a rumored incipient
Anglo-American misunderstanding,
Just prior to the dispatch of Presi-
dent Harding's note % Great Brit
ain when a blunder by some one in
the State Department very nearly
upset the American program.
II is admitted now that the King
did a personal and yeoman service
in righting the official misplay, and
that as a consequence he has be-
come closely attached to Ambassa-
dor Harvey Commenting on the
conversation between Mr.. Harvey
and the King. the Spectator says:
The feature OF the week has been
the successful, far-sirhted, highly
beneficial. yet perfectly constitu.
tional influence exerted by the King
in the matter of President Hard
ing's double invitation to the dis
armament conference and the es-
tablishment of q quadrLple entente
cordiale in the Pacific"
Incident Not Discussed.
The Spectator, the Observer and
other newspapers refuse 10 discuss
details of how the near-entangIe-
ment occurred. but they intimate
that il arose through lord Curzon's
cOndustinE preliminary conversa-
tions with the American. Chinese
and Japanese ambassadors. This
forms a further basis for Lord
Northcliffe's present attack upon
the policy of permitting either
Lloyd George or Lord Curzon to
participate in the Washington con-
ference.
The Weekly Nation understands
that the nntanElement which ap-
pcarcd immicnt when it was
Strengthened 0ut by King George
and Col. Harvey. was Lloyd
George's threat to issue invitations
to a disarmament conference him
self. 1t is intimated that the pre-
mier was drafting such an invita-
tlon at Chequers on July 10 when
the Harding document arrived.