Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-24
The United States at Geneva.

line Unlted States al ucnoSd'
American participation in the arms
limitation conference at Geneva in
February is assured. The President
has decided to accept the invitation OF
the League of Nations to send repre-
sentatives to that meeting. Certain
conditions or limitations are. however.
indicated which safeguard the position
of the United States as that OF aioo1-
ness from purely European affairs.
These conditions have not been dell
nitely formulated, but their nature as
indicated comprises these broad propo-
sitions: The United States will not be
bound by any agreement for the re-
duction of land forces by the Euro
pean nations: the United States must
not be involved in any security agree
ments arising from the conference fol-
lowing reduction of land armament
and must therefore not be obligated to
use force in the event of the violation
of such agreements; the United States
must not be involved in any agree
ment, enforcement of which rests
upon the League of Nations.
These limitations, 1t is clear. have
been adopted in principle to meet the
views of those who are irreconcilably
opposed to any involvement in strictly
European affairs and any participa-
ton in the work OF the League of Ma
tons as a member or a subscriber TO
its mandates. 1t is understood that
with these stipulations definitely eX-
pressed there will be no opposition In
ton to cover the expenses of Ameri-
can representation at Geneva.
The United States is an avowed ad-
vocate of arms limitation. The first
world conference on that subject was
held here at the invitation Of Presi-
dent Harding and resulted in a pro-
gram of naval limitation. The Geneva
conference is proposed for the purpose
Of securing a reduction and limitation
OF land forces. logical supplement TO
the WASHINGTON Conference of 1921.
The United States has never had a
large standing Army. 1t has never
been In the position of threatening the
disturbance of peace through the main
tenance of a great military force. In
deed, such a force is contrary to the
fundamental principles on which this
Government is established. In its
emergencies il has always relied upon
the spontaneous service of the people
for military duty. In a supreme crisis
in the sixties of the last century it re-
sorted TO the draft. Again during the
great war it invoked the principle of
compulsory service. 1t is inconcelN-
able. therefore, that the United States
should ever be a factor in war-making
through the weight of land armament
Under these conditions the United
States will be represented at Geneva
as a friend of the principle or lano
arms limitation, as, indeed, an ex-
emplar of that principle. 1t will
not be a party to any compacts that
will require it to lessen its armed
force, for it needs none to insure
n minimum of land preparedness
against the contingency of war.
It will not undertake, by subscrip-
ton to any stipulation that may
be entered upon at Geneva, to enforce
such rules as apply to foreign rela-
lions. 1t will thus be in effect an "un-
official observer at Geneva, or per-
haps an expert witness, and in that
role it will exercise a pronounced in
f1uence for the accomplishment OF the
purpose for which the conference is
called, a reduction OF the great land
forces which are a drain upon the re-
sources of nations and an incitation
to conflict.