The Washington herald., 1922-10-14
Officials Silent on Reports
That Europe Is Being
Sounded.
THREE BIG POWERS
MAY MEET AGAIN
Will RdYrite Naval Pact
If France Refuses to
Ratify 1t.

Administration officials yesterday
would not discuss reports emanating
from London and Paris that the
United States Is sounding out
European powers on the proposition
Of an international land disarmament
conference.
There were no denials Of the re
ports. however. and there Is a well
defined belief here that the President
and Secretary OF State Hughes are
planning to issue an invitation to the
powers for such a conference which
would be operated on lines similar
to the Washington conference last
winter, which resulted in the naval
treaty and the four-power pacific
pact.
At that conference land disarma
ment was included in the agenda
but the time was unpropitious for its
consideration II was the general un-
derstanding that future conference
would be called when European ma
tions would bel a better position to
discuss land disarmament.
May Reverse Naval Pact.
Officials would not Indicate how
soon the United States contemplated
such conference. but It is intimated
that II would not be until some time
next year. Ambassador Harvey s
conference Thursday with Lord Cur
zon. the British foreign minister. is
believed here to havei included some
reference to this governments ideas
on thel and disarmament question.
II was disclosed here that an
other three-power conference to re-
ise the naval treaty is within the
range Of possibilities. The view OF
the Harding administration Is that
theer is nothing in the arms con-
ference treaties which is against the
interest of France. and. therefore
It is hoped that the French govern
ment will find IL convenient to
ratify them as soon as possible.
The fact that Great Britain and
the United States and Japan ac-
cepted the naval ratio OF 5-5-3 au-
tomatically more than doubled the
strength Of the French navy con-
sidered from a point of view OF
relativity, administration officials
pointed out. and, therefore, was
greatly to the advantage of the
French.
Await Frances Acceptance.
So far as this government is Of
any objection raised by France to
the fact that the treaty gives Italy
a parity with her in naval srength.
This government is looking forward
expectantIy to the time when the
French government will announce
its readiness to exchange ratifca-
tions. particularly since the terms
Of teh treaties provide that they
shall no become effective until rati-
fcations have been exchanged by
all the signatory powers.
In this respect the arms confer
ence treaties differ materially from
the Versailles treaty. which pro-
vided that it should become effec-
tive upon ratification by Germany
and three Of the other powers.
While the administration declines
to believe France and Italy will re-
fuse 10 ratify, since there has been
no official information on that sub
Ject. it is admitted that the only
process for making the treaties ef-
fective in case it should become ap-
parent the French and Italians did
not intend to do so. would be for
the three powers which already
have ratified to rawrite the treaties
to make them effective upon ex-
change OF ratification by these
powers.