The Washington herald., 1922-01-25
U. 5. ALO0FNESS
DOOMS GENOA,
ASSERTS SIMONDS
Poincare's Hand Upheld
In Struggles With
British Premier.
BY FRANK H. s1MoNps.

ries Win u death sentence for
the Genoa conference. but il siml-
larly dooms to disappointment all
European expectations that the
Washington conference might preyel
bridge by which the limited
states would return to Europe' one
has only to recall the. recenr M
terances made by Lloyd George To
his hopes of American pasticipatjo
in the Genoa conference to per-
ceive how far, reaching will be the
effect of the American refusal.
= The Genoa conference was decided
upon at Cannes in the hours inn
mediate1y preceding NJ. Briaud's re.
turn to Paris and his sensational
resignation. The suggestion of the
~aenferepce was British. The pur-
pose of the conference was to I.rinr
Europe together. with HL.sIa aud
Germany included for the first
time since the. war. and to under
take measures To- lhe economic
restoration of Eu'o'e in accord
ance with British ideas. sriand
gave his consent to the confersu,.
and this consent was one Of me
main causes Of his fall. Franco was
not prepared to Goose 1t to .r Join
cept a British program and leave
France Isolated or in a hopeless
minority. But underlying all ex-
pectations of success at Genoa was
the assumption that the United
States would come and, coming,
would lend its strength to support
British diplomacy and its resources
to finance the reconstruction OF
Europe.
Cemmitted to Stand.
When Poincare took office, he
found himself committed ~ the
Genoa conference by the Cannes
agreement Of BRAND. He could not
directly repudiate the engagement.
France could not afford to absent
herself from the conference IL the
United States were to be preser {.
French policy. under Poinrare, was
however. bound to seek at every
turn to render the result of the
conference nil. be:-Use IL was 4
British proposal. But with the
United States present 4 French de-
feat was almost me rItaLla
Accordingly the manifest h.pa of
British diplomacy ia Washington
during the present conference has
been that out of the association Ct
the two Anglo-SaXon natinns mere
would grow some kind Of partner
ship at Genoa. The British success
in demolishing French popularity
in the United States contributed
largely to Strengthening this hope
of an Anglo-American coalition
against France at Genoa. Now, the
refusal of the United States to go
to Genoa not only produces British
disappointment. but beyond any
question it will enable France to
block all programs at Genoa.
Change In Few Weeks.
A few weeks ago the United
States was ready to go to Genoa
or to some European conferences
provided Europe would dispose tn
question of reparations and agree
on a reduction of land armaments.
But agreement as to reparations
meant a material reduction of the
total which Germany would have
to pay. reduction which would
inevitably be at the expense of
France. while land disarmament in
volved beyond all else the diminu-
tiou OF the French army to point
where France would no longer be
able to act Independently. The chief
objective of the new Poincarc min
istry must be to prevent both these
things. and without Americas pres
ence in Europe and on the British
side French success goes WITHOUT
saying.
We in the United States are ac-
customed to take our international
interests separately and see them
without relation to each other
Europe. on the contrary cannot
separate Atlantic from Pacific
questions and has seen the Wash
ington conference always in con-
nection with the European situa-
ton. 1t has seen that the main
purpose of British diplomacy in
Washington was to arrive at some
thing like an alliance between the
United States and Great Britain
which would so strengthen the
British hand in Europe and in deal
ing with the French as to lead to
French surrender and the appl;ca
ton of the British economic ideas
to the continent of Europe.
Demoiishcd French Credit.
Everyone recognizes that the
British were successful in demol-
ishing French credit in this country
and increasing American apprecia-
ton Of British policies. But the
real test of the success had to be
found in something like the Genoa
conference. The decision OF the
United States not to go to CenCa
renders valueless the largest part
of the British effort here in the
last eleven weeks.
ReyoId any question, then, the
the hand of President Poincare in
his battle with. Lloyd George. What
ever question there might have been
in Paris as to the wisdom of op-
posing both the United States and
Great Britain. the present state of
feeling in France as to the English
leaves no doubt of Poincare's hold
upon his countrymen in the Tesent
circumstance. There will be no
more question of a reduction of the
French army or of a limitation of
French naval strength until there
has been a liquidation of olrstand-
ing quarrels between the two coun-
tries
France means to demand from:
Great Britain a longtime Alliance,
with a definite assurance of a spec
flied number of troops made avail
able at the moment of any German
aggression, and an assurance of
support In eXacting ultimately, il
not Immediately. the full amount
of the French bill. Moreover,
France sees the future of Poland
of utmost Importance to herself
and she seeks British endorsement
of Poland's future. Therefore, she
sets her face against Lloyd GeoI ge's
consistent policy in the matter of