The New York herald., 1922-02-19
If President. Has None
Hughes May Be Called
for Oral Account.
HITCHCOCK. WANTS LIGHT
Will Not Deal With Pacific
Treaty in Dark, He Tells
Colleagues.
sneciat. pisnats:n 3 THE New YonK HrnArp.

Special Dispatch TO THE New York HEnALp.
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington. D. C.. Feb 18.
Republican irreconcilables and DEM
ocratic members Of the Senate For
eign Relations Committee threaten to
form a coalition to hold up indefinitely
the four Power and naval limitations
treaties.
Such a coalition, and which Is now
in the making, could prevent any of
the treaties being favorably reported.
The objections to the ccmpacts by the
proposed coalition will not be removed,
1t was explained, until the Senate is
informed fully regarding the secret
negotiations and private conversa-
tons which preceded the making Of
the Pacific four Power treaty and as
to how far American military and
naval activities in the Pacific are to
be curtailed.
The coalition will not be satisfied II
President Harding on Monday merely in
forms the Senate. in response to the
Hitchcock resolution calling upon him
for all available information respecting
the Pacific treaty, that no written record
was kept of the secret negotiations and
private conversations engaged in by
Secretary Hughes, Baron Kato, head of
the Japanese delegation and Arthur ].
Balfour, chief spokesman OF the British
delegation, which led up to the drafting
and signing of the treaty.
May Call, Hughes.
points 'out that so far, as he knows all
available written records and minutes
regarding the secret sessions Of the con-
ference have been laid before the Senate
a demand will be made on the Senate
floor. as well as in the committee, that
Secretary Hughes be requested to appear
before the committee.
Such a course of procedure may force
Secretary Hughes to cut short his trip
to Bermuda, as the friends of the
treaties are anxious to get action on
them as soon as possible. ~ t.sZ
II there are no written records of the
conversations the COMMITTEES will insist
that Secretary Hughes tell orally all the
details of the conversation as he remem-
bers them leading up to the treaties.
Senator Hitchcock (Neb.), ranking
Democratic member of the committee,
says he docs not propose to deal with
the Pacific pact in the dark" and he
was "astonished that the committee, at
least, had not been told all about par
ticular circumstances" which he under
stood attended the secret negotiations
and private conversations which led up
to the treaty.
VIII Take Up Fight.
The Nebraska Senator intends to
leave Monday for his home to start his
campaign for reelection and he will be
gone probably for a couple of weeks.
His Democratic colleagues on the COM
mittee Senators Pomerene (Ohio) and
Swanson .(Va). 1t is reported, are pre-
pared to take UP the fight for pub
licity.
Senator Johnson (Cal) is prepared to
fight at the committee meeting Monday
against Article XIX. of the Naval Linn
itation Treaty providing for a status
quo with regard to the Notifications
and naval bases in the Pacific. He is of
the opinion that the United States might
be placed at a serious disadvantage in
the Pacific under such a provision.
Attention was called to-day by Sem
ator Johnson to the fact that in. his re-
port On the naval appropriations bill for
the 1922 fiscal year Senator Poindexter
(Wash.), then acting chairman of the
that "the committee recommends ST.
$4,000 toward the development of a
naval base on the island of Guam, which
we are advised by the technical officers
of the navy is of the greatest strategical
Importance"
Certainly II technical officers of the
navy regarded Guam as of greatest
strategical Importance" says Senator
Johnson. they can hardly regard 1t Of
less strategical Importance this year, the
results of the armament conference not
withstanding."
In the same report Senator johnson
says Senator Poindexter emphasized the
fact that generally speaking the facli-
ties on the Pacific coast for naval bases
at the present time are In the ratio of
one to four as compared with the At
lantic coast.
I'VE are asked" adds Senator John
son. ''by our British and Japanese
friends under Article XIX. of the naval
treaty not to fortify Guam or TO con-
struct any fortiflcations west of the
Hawaiian Islands, where we now have
none, although Great Britain and Japan
are abundantly supplied with both naval
bases and Notifications In the vast
reaches OF the Pacific In which we are
told we are not to mount a single gun
for the protection of our possessions"
Because OF the strong opposition
which has developed to the four Power
treaty and the naval treaties in the
Foreign Relations Committee Senator
New Gnd.). n member OF the commit
tee, announced to-day he would not re-
turn to Indiana for some time to par
ticipate in his campaign for reelection.
senator New feels that his first duty
Is TO see that the treaties are ratified.
and for that reason he Intends 10 Ieave
his campaign In the hands of his friends
until the treaties are out of the way.
:. Reports that former President Wilson
had sent word TO his friends In the
Senate TO support the four Power treaty
were denied vigorously by the Wilson
Democrats in that body. They say he
Is taking no part In the treaty discussion