The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-02-22
U-BOAT TREATY
AS POROUS AS
SWISS CHEESE
Vanderbilt Declares individuals
and Not Powers Are Gull
pabIe Under Pact.
BY CORNELIUS VANDERBILT, Jr.

By CORNELIUS VANDERBILT, Jr.
copyright. 1929. by Universal service.)
Even though the proposed subma-
rine treaty be ratified by Congress,
It viii not be binding on the other
contracting powers according to an
authority on international law.
In the first place, 1t Is so struc-
turally weak and ambiguous in text
that my informant described 1t as 80
full of holes as to out-Swiss a Swiss
cheese" Let us glance at this treaty
and expose a few of its weaker
points.
First, its object is. to protect the
life Of neutrals and non-combatants
at sea, but will attempt to show,
by my informant's analysis, that
this document Is based on sentimen-
tality rather than cold fact" More
over, it's provisions are open to such
various interpretations as to lead to
future controversy.
Articles III and w OF the treaty
either must be eliminated or recon-
structed II the treaty is to have any
vitality at all, / am informed. Glance
at Article III a moment which, with
respect to attacks upon merchant
ships by submarines, says that any
person in the service of any power
who shall violate any Of those rules.
whether or not such person is under
orders of a governmental superior,
shall be deemed to have violated the
laws Of war and shall be liable to trial
Gnd punishment as II for an act of pi.
racy and may be brought to trial be-
Of any power within the jurisdiction
m xuhiOh he NAV ha found ~
The reader will note in the above
that II makes the person responsible,
and quietly overlooks the culpability
of the government. II specifies that
the guilty person shall be brought to
trial as pirate, but states no time
within which he is to be tried.
Pity the poor submarine comman-
der! II during war his government
orders him to sink ship on the high
seas contrary to the provisions Of
this treaty. and he disobeys the or
der, he would probably be court
martialed and shot. On the other
hand. If he obeys the order and IS
captured by any of the signatory
parties to this treaty he would be
shot anyway.
At a recent informal gathering Of
diplomats Albert Saurraut. just be-
4OIc MS uSpdI luIS lOI rIdHCc, ltltue
the startling statement that while the
big powers were restricting by
treaty the use of submarines such
nations as Spain, Norway, Sweden,
Denmark and Argentina were build
ing these crafts in great numbers.
Not for themselves but for a
prospective sale to any great power
that might be plunged into a future
war.
The reason that France favored
submarines in great numbers. Mr..
Saurraut said, Is that she was not
self supporting and had TO protect
the seaianes to her colonies TO in
sure the uninterrupted inflow OF raw
materials. Knowing that these sub
marines were being built in great
numbers by the smaller nations,
France could not exhibit enthusiasm
over Mr.. Roots article ".
Lastly, neither France nor Japan
10 satisfied with this treaty, l am
informed, because it savors more Of
sentimentality than fact and was
rushed through the Conference be-
fore they had an opportunity
thoroughly TO digest it's contests.