The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-11-21
SHIFT ATTENTION
TO LAND FORCES
France Would Maintain Largest
Army in the World.
wAsHINGToN. Nov. 2o.-world IA

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2o.-World at
tention win shift from naval to land
ornaments when Premier BRAND of
France speaks tomorrow before the
arms conference. His address, provid-
| ed for at the last plenary session of
| the conference. is expected to be
very frank statement Of the reasons
that impel France to maintain the
largest army in the world.
The subject to be covered by the
French premier's statement is proa-
! bly, the point OF most immediate i'm
/ portance to France in the entire con-
/ ference. In informed circles it is ex-
pected the address viii be a defense
of French military policy which the
French authorities hope viii absolve
that country before the world from
any suspicion of aggressive designs on
the continent
In expressing general adherence of
France to the American plan for naval
reductions, NJ. BRAND said to the con-
ference:
when 1t comes in the agenda, as
| It inevitably will come to the question
/ of land armament, a question parsicu-
larry delicate for France as you are
all aware, we have no intention to
| eschew this question. We shall an
swer your appeal fully conscious that
this is a question of a grave and seri-
Gus nature for US. The question Will
be raised-it has been raised-and if
there is a country that desires that
demands that the question Of land
| ornaments should be raised, it is
France
Il hope that I shall be able to state
publicly what the position of France
is, so that the United States and the
world may fully know And when
have tried to prove this, when you
have listened to this demonstration, I
am quite sure that you viii be con-
WINGED that France. after the necessi-
ties of safety and life have been ade-
quately secured, harbors no thought
whatever of disturbing the peace of
the world"
Beyond this forecast of Premier
Brands intended utterance there has
been nothing to indicate that the land
armament question is to be taken up
definitely for settlement in Washing
ton. So far as can be learned, no
power represented at the Washington
GO1ilS tlACC has pref dIeQ any pan Tor
limitation or reduction of land forces.
All delegations are armed with vol
umes of statistics dealing with armies
among other armament divisions. but
neither the United States nor Great
Britain has any direct or immediate
interests in the subject both having
already cut their armies to the bone.
It appears wholly likely that if any
proposal such as the American naval
plan was to be submitted for armies
it would come from France or one of
the powers possessing great army
strength. As yet there has been no
sign of such a plant.
Much interest has attached to Pre-
mier BRANDS coming statement be-
cause OF what reference, yelled or
otherwise, he might make to the well
known French desire that Great Brit
ain and the United States join in some
form Of assurances Of support for
France should she again be attacked
In view Of the general attitude in
!, Washington on that suggestion, how
ever, it is regarded as unlikely that
Premier BRAND will make even a di-
rect reference to It, 1t was thought
far more probable that he would seek
to give the conference a picture Of the
present situation Of France as Wis
ualized by her government.
Meanwhile, American military adj
visers are prepared for the imitation of
the land armament question by some
other group. They are prepared to
show that the American army is now
far below any ratio of land power
which might be suggested; that it is
completed demobilizing. That no or
ganization beyond paper structure
stands behind it with the exception OIL
the national guard, and that the stand
ing army today is no more than a ma
tional police force and possibly is too
small for even that work. There have
been meetings of the American mill
tary group Their work has been con-
fined to statistical preparation to in
form the American delegates on any
point that might arise This data is
in the hands of Secretary Hughes and
his colleagues and unless the experts
are called in later they have no active
place in the conference circle.
1t now appears likely that the con
ference will when it reaches the item
on the agenda providing for discussion
Of new agencies of war, turn this ques- |
ton over to joint commission or COM
missions, the subject viii involve use
Of air bombs, gas, submarines and sim |
liar matters and it does not seem like I
ly that this discussion will be carried
on by the full conference