Evening star., 1922-02-16
j. s. HOPES PARLEY
W|LLBEPOSTPONED
America in Awkward Position
Over Genoa Conference,
Spars for Delay.
ny the Associated Press,

LONDOSs February 1O@The
probability Of Q delay Of three
weeks In the opening Of the Genoa
economic conference was conceded
In British omcial circles today.
This was the Arst intimati0n in
such circles that the French were
likely to win their contention that
1t was Impossible to start t-.e COR
ference On the date originally
chosen, March 8.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
America would be immensely oblig-
ed IL Italy. France. England or some
body would postpone the. Genoa eco
nomic conference Indefinitely. or. at
least. until the Senate of the United
States acts upon the several treaties
negotiated at the arms conference.
The United States government
doesn't want to be in the position Of
asking for postponement and would
prefer to have the initiative taken
from the other side of the Atlantic.
but there are a half dozen reasons
why the United States hopes it will
be done.
Mystery Of Missing Nete.
The mystery Of the missing note an
nounced in the cable news dispatches
from Paris as having been given to
the press by Premier Poincare is in
tertwined, in the American reluctance
to ask postponement Although the
Paris correspondents cabled the SUBJ
stance OF the note nearly a week ago.
the Department of State officially
department officials making any Wig
orous efforts to locate the note. The
general impression prevails here that
Ambassador Herrick received uno6i-
ctsl word from the government here
as to its attitude just about the time
In the correspondents and telling
them about his note. The note has
probably never been delivered to the
American embassy at Paris.
Another Incident in connection with
the missing note was the announce
ment from the White House a week
government to the invitation Of the
powers to attend the economic con-
ference at Genoa would be given out
on Friday. February 10. but that day
has come and gone and the only word
from the White House was that
American could not respond to the in
vitation until more information was
available as to the scope and program
Of the conference.
Treaties First ConsiAeration.
Reduced to its simplest form. the
situation here is one of anxiety about
the various treaties signed at the
arms conference, and until they are
- ho oayv1 ~ tuf fr2 inn
does not want toenter another inter-
national conference. Evidence of this
In to be found In the tendency of adj
ministration officials to argue that
unless the pending treaties ars rati-
ned economic reconstruction will be
also employed the leverage of eco
nomic necessity to compel action by
the Senate on the Versailles treaty.
and the probabilities are that the
same will r. the case with the arms
conference pacts.
Entirely apart from the domestic
REASONS which would make a post
ponement Of the Genoa conference At
in with the administration plans.
there are serious doubts as to what
can be accomplished in any economic
conference until the European coun-
tries themselves give evidence of q
better spirit toward the all-important
problem OIL 1eIIHau pdyHSHto ou wal
reparations II the United States
were required to answer the invita-
ton to Genoa it would base its note
on the vagueness of the Genoa pro-
gram, the necessity for some actual
manifestation Of self-help by Europe
and the separation Of economic from
political questions.
AgaiAst Foreign Entanglements.
Such topics as the peace of Eu-
rope" may be vital to the settlement
Of economic questions. but the Hard
ing administration stands committed
against the discussion of European
political questions just as much, to-
day as when the league Of nations
controversy was at its height.
Any. economic conference in which
the Harding administration does par.
ticipate will have to be strictly eco
nomic, financial and commercial. and
divorced from any Of the enforcement
provisions Of previous treaties gov
erning the peace Of Europe. The be-
lief prevails here that the Genoa con-
ference will ultimately be changed In
character and that the United States
will in the end be q participant
though the negotiations for the fund
Ing of the allied debt may be carried
on separately either in Washington
or in London during the summer
Copyright. 1927