The Washington herald., 1922-08-06
London Conference Threads
Tangled Maze, Says Simonds
Nations on Verge Of Bankruptcy Face Almosi
Insurmountable Conflict Of Interests,
He Declares.

The difiiculty with all previous
attempts to reach any settlement
of the German problem has lain
in the fact that Il has been COM
plicated by Lloyd Georges grandi-
ose scheme for q general European
settlement. He has not wanted to
make separate alliance, he has
sought q pan-European agfesment
and the French have steadily re-
fused to have their special situation
confused by the intermingling of
the general situation and an under
standing with Britain watered down
by the participation Of a dozen or
two other states. ~.
Germany Complainant.
On the other hand. the recent con-
sent Of Germany to permit allied
supervision Of finances represents
the first tangible evidence of progress
in all the negotiations of recent
months. 1t gives the allies. at last.
some definite means Of exercising con-
troll. indirectly but nevertheless effect
lively, for II Germany refuses to ac-
cept advice based upon accurate
then she becomes at once
liable to adverse disciplinary action
by all the allied states.
The question of whether Germany
can or cannot meet a specific pay
ment is not then left to be deter
mined as the immediate interests Of
creditor nation is concerned The
need the British have of the Ger
man market does not. as II has In
the past. determine the justice of the
German claim for a moratorium. un-
der this supervision. The refusal of
Germany to do what the allied super
visors recommend cannot be taken
as a mere partial Interpretation OF
German conditions to suit their fan
cies by the French military group
assuming such q group exists. In
a word. this step tends largely to
get reparations out of politics.
France Fearful of Germany.
But after all the separation of the
political from the economic Is only
possible within limits. Thus we come
at once squarely against the British
desire to get Germany into the league
of nations. Here she encounters
French opposition again. founded OF
a not unfair Interpretation of the
contemporary temper of the Germans
Since the French veto Is sufficient u
forbid, this Is another thing Lloyd
George must pay for.
l assume. from all that reaches me
from Paris. that the mass of the
French people have accepted the fact
that the only solution Of the existing
situation Is an international loan and
that no loan is possible until repa.
rations have been reduced. But the
French. while accepting this fact are
unwilling that Germany should be
saved. while France is left to collapse.
and France is fiscally bankrupt Il
German reparations are reduced be-
yond a certain point while allied
claims against France are maintained
French Demand Salvation.
The bottom fact. of course. is that
France, Italy and even Belgium are
within two steps of fiscal bankruptcy
Italy Is probably, to take Giolitti's a
statement at its face value. beyond
salvation. Recent letters from Paris
leave the impression that there Is gen.
eral expectation there that similar
crash is in sight. Belgium, a little
better of. would of course go down
In any general collapse.
The French are ready to accept
any solution Of the German prob.
lem which carries with 1t theil
own salvation, but IL they are tc
go down, they mean that German,
shall go down too. because their
own ruin is the direct consequenc,
of the distinctions done In Franc,
by Germany's army and so far to.
tally unpaid for. The whole rep.
arations problems is there, It has
been there from the beginning; the
success or failure of London will
turn on whether Lloyd George car
find a method of saving German,
financially and economically. which
as its immediate consequence save.
France. II he fails. then the French
will certainly go broke. but theil
collapse will be preceded by a Ger.
man collapse which will be politica
even before it is economic.
Complications In Near East,
But the German question is onl,
one of many which have to be faced
at London. From the Straits OF
Gibraltar to- the Golden Horn, Brit.
ish. French and italian interests ar,
inextricably entangled. France /,
cperly backing The Turk against he
Greek. who is the soldier of Grea,
Britain. Italy is quarrelling witt
Greeks in the Aegean, with m,
Egyptians on the Tripolitan from.
tier and is seeking to obtain =
right to participate in the AnrIo
spanish, French dispute over Tan.
gier
Actually the reco-Turkisb wa,
is still in progress; the lighting he
tween soldiers seems more or Lee,
interrupted but thousands of Greek,
are beng massacred from Trebiz.
ond to Adana and a similar fat,
Is again overtaking Armenians. Iy
Paris, in March, the British Eraras
and italians drew up an aereemen,
Ior truce and settlement which
tney served upon the beIlfrerent.
II took territory in Thraee frnn,
Greece and gave it to Turkey anS
called for the evacuation nv M
greeks of Asia Minor with Smvrns
included. But the Turks would =,
accept it because 1t did not give
them Adrianople. while the Greek,
refused to turn over the Greeks OF
SMYRNA to certain determination
Following a Turkish return.
Jealousy of Greece.
The Greeks. moreover, are In
smyrna (which is q Greek town by
population and has been So for a
matter of some twenty-five CEN
turies). because the British urged
them to go there to forestaII an
Italian occupation some two OF
three years ago. AS a CONSEQUENCE
Of acceptance of British advice.
was welcome enough. of course,
Greece has fought another war and
II she has now to lose that war,
constantine will probably lose his
throne.