Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-12
D|SARM|NG SEEN
BY WSC0UNT CECIL
Many Obstacles, However,
Cited by Great Britain's
Representative.
Sy the Associated Press.

GENEVA, December 12.-Niscount
Cecil Of Chelwood, Great Britain
representative on the League of Ma
lions disarmament council, gave an
interview to the Associated Press'
summarizing in striking fashion the
pitfalls to be encountered on the road
to a solution of the disarmament
problem and of the forces which Justi-
fy q hope that after all this great
issue will be grappled with success
fully.
To estimate the prospects of dis
armament, Lord Cecil said, would Re
q rash attempt at prophecy. but he
expressed the belief that some obser-
Vations might be made concerning
the forces which seem likely to retaFd
O. accelerate the movement
t'Cndoubtedly the chief obstacle to
disarmament" he said, lis the want
of security. due to historic suspicious
and jealousles of nations and the
consequent chauvinistic forms OF ma
tionalism. Perhaps the chief merit
of our recent agreements has been
The dimunition they have brought
among some of the most important
of European nations of this attitude
of suspicion. 4 cursory reading OF
the press Of some of the nations in
volved would indicate that this
amelioration does not extend to all
sections OF the populations. Still, a
great step forward has been made.
League Aids Security.
Again, the growing strength and
prestige of the League of Nations
Is an important element toward secu-
rity. The smoothness and rapidity
with which the Greco Bulgarian dis
pute was adjusted. and, still more, the
emphatic declarations of members of
the council at Paris that a resort 10
violence a means of settling inter-
national disputes is no longer to be
tolerated among members of the
league, show remarkable growth of
international good will.
The more nations become in the
habit of referring disputes to pacific
settlement the less they will regard
one another as potential enemies"
When asked to define the domestic
difficulties in the way of disarmament
Lord Cecil declared that next to inter-
national suspicion as an obstacle to
disarmament he would put internal
friction of the various government
machines. He said the idea of dis
armament Is necessarily strange and
unattractive to military and civil flung
tionaries who have. traditions Of their
own older than international relations.
They still think it more important
to keep their powder dry than to
trust to Cod" Lord Cecil said.
Difficult to Estimate Arms
He then emphasized the immense
practical difficulties in the way of land
and air disarmament, and explained
that the technical problems of naval
disarmament were comparatively SIM
pie, those of.army matters being much
more complicated. Mere numbers, he
said, furnished no criterion OF the
strength of land forces.
Even assuming that all nationali-
ties were equally brave--a very large
assumption-it remains true that in q
modern army guns, rifles, tanks and
bombs are Of greater Importance in
estimating strength than the number
OF soldiers" Lord Cecil continued.
Yet to draw up g list of weapons OF
war is almost impra ctical, and such
lists would require constant revision.
Moreover. who shall compare one kind
of weapon with another? Who shall
say how many rifles are equal to a
tank? Who shall make any scale Of
that kind?"
Turning to the question of air arm
aments, Lord Cecil said the prob
lem there was further complicated
by the fact that civil aircraft can be
utilized for military purposes with
scarcely any alteration, yet most in
quirers have arrived at the con-
clusion that to attempt TO limit
civilian aviation was impracticable.
He was convinced. therefore. that the
first difficulty to overcome was that
of finding a standard by which to
measure land and air ornaments
against each other.
Relative Strength Difficult Issue.
r"Assuming that this difficulty can
be solved, as | think it can. there
still remains the greatest question
OF all--namely, on what principle
can be settled the strength of the
ornaments TO be allowed to the
various nations-how tQ persuade
Country \ that1sit should pot have
such large ornaments as Country b.
Lord Cecil said....To solve this prob
lem we might take the, present
strength Of armies as a; standard, or
divide the nations into certain cate
oorieS and eSta blish a ina Xfmum for
each class, or endeTVor to ascertain
all elements of security and inse-
curity of vulnera billy and strength.
actual and potential of each nation
and aIlot ornaments accordingly
Great Eritain's disarmament rep
resentative revealed that the new
Pfepafa toI\ toiili I lol us
afhlainenG conference Oh Nli1ch tiie
oni'eo states VIII be ihNlted 70 SIT
VIII De ore 'liiHea Almost iiillneuidte!s
lie explained that IL Is 10 arrive al
so4ulloh OF all the proDlehls ALREADY
outlined that the Lea que OF Nations
was appointing its international COM
mission of investigation, and that 1T
Is hoped that the commission will be
at work in The course Of very few
weeks" -
eff and when this commission has