Evening star., 1922-03-05
b0UL0GNE PARLEY
AID TO AMERICAN
FRENCH RELATIONS
Conference of Premiers Dis.
peIs Gathering Cloud Of
MISUNDERSTANDING.
INDIVIDUAL >BLUNDERS
BLAMED FOR FRICTION
Tardieu Declares Opinions of Few
Should Not Be Mistaken for
National Attitude.

BY ANDRE TARDIEU,
Former French High Commissioner to
America.
By Cable to The Star.
PARIS. March 4.-Everybody recog-
nizes that Franco British relations
were immensely benefited by the
Lloyd George-Poincare conference at
Boulogne. think that Franco-Ameri-
can relations also will benefit 4ndi-
rectly from the conference.
But today I am going to take the
bull by the horns. Since the Washing
ton conference the American opinion
Of France has been rather low because
France was badly represented. To
the best of my ability tried to warn
you when the conference opened not to
confuse France with Frances spokes-
men, but this confusion arose and the
errors predicted were committed.
Concerning naval ornaments, NJ.
BRAND silently let pass the moment
when France could properly have in
sisted upon recognition Of her i'm
mense maritime and colonial inter-
ests. This moment was the opening
session. when Secretary Hughes an
nounced the $3.50 formula for Great
Britain. the United States and Japan.
Another big blunder was committed
when in the absence Of the French
plenipotentiaries our naval experts
put in their absurd claim for $4,000
tons of capital ships. Finally, concern
ing land BRAND breathed
scarcely a word of Francs need for
keeping the means of action against
a manifestly recalcitrant debtor.
Neglected American Press.
Furthermore. I cannot ignore our
delegates astonishing negligence of
the American press and, the absence
from the delegation of any man know
ing American news methods and
American Psychology. The final result
was what II had to be. When the con-
ference ended the majority American
opinion was thoroughly convinced that
France had become a nation impos-
sible to treat with, or even to talk to.
. Following this, NJ. BRAND having
meantime collapsed on account OF his
objectionable faults at Cannes, the
debate opened between Poincare and
Lloyd George considering Genoa.
This served as an occasion for part of
the press Of Great Britain roundly to
denounce Frances intrasigance. This
denunciation deeply impressed many
Americans, though hardly justly, for,
as the United States had decided to
abstain, it could scarcely blame
France, who agreed to go, for asking
certain preliminary precautions.
Poincare's note on the subject OF
Genoa was very generally regarded as
fair, yet how many people continued
crying that France was putting spikes
in the wheels and was lacking in en-
tente spirit!
The Boulogne interview came Just
in time to show that things were not
so bad as they had been pictured, and
that the French arguments had a
cogency which even Lloyd George
recognized. OF course, do not claim
that the two premiers in a few hours
could settle, or even thoroughly ex-
anime, the manifold problems. both
political and economic, on which the
views and interests Of the two ma
tions.differ. Nevertheless, the Franco
British conflict SO noisily proclaimed
by the newspapers Of all countries
not excepting the French socialist or
gans-seems dissipated,, If it ever in
deed existed.
Must Judge by Facts.
r do not doubt that Americans will
draw from this affair some useful con-
cIusions concerning biased exaggera-
tions with which certain newspapers
endeavor to disturb our good rela-
tions.
1 realize that somebody will seek to
confound me by saying 1t is not the
fault of the United States If that
country is deceived about France by
the men who unfortunately headed
the French government for 50 long.
Had we not let BRAND go to Washing
ton his mistakes would not have oc-
Cured. And had not Louis Loucheur
been a cabipet minister for a whole
year his ridiculous speech about
Frances inability to pay her debts
would have passed unheeded. All of
this Is true, but every country has its
blunderers, and peoples must learn to
Judge one another not by words but
by facts.
On this basis America can see that
France has not changed. and that the
h1undera committed in f,er mama dur
ing the past year injured herself
alone and not others.
All Of this is not very comforting to
us, but 1t warrants us in hoping that
our friends will not aggravate the In
jury we have undergone by passing q
severe judgment which we do not feel
we deserve. :
Copyright. 1927
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