Evening star., 1925-03-25
NAVAL D|SARM|NG
!. PARLEY PROBABLE
Presidents Order for Study
| of Plans Puts Proposal
in Definite Form.

According to the White House, the
plans of President Coolidge looking
toward another conference on naval
disarmament to be held in Washing
ton are taking on more dehnite and
actual aspect
Secretary of State Kellogg. at the
Presidents request. has entered upon
an Intensive study of the minutes of
the original arms conference in order
TO better acQuaint himself with what
trarspired then and how it all was
arranged and handled, and also to
familiarize himself with the treat
ment of those elements of naval
armament for which no formula of
Limitation was found Not until
Secretary Kellogg completes this
survey and has submitted his views
to the President will a definite decision
be reached.
It is stated In official circles that
while the President is eager to call
such a conference, he will not do so
until he is satisfied that the inter-
ested world powers are all agre cable.
He also wants to feel sure there is
some prospect of successful achieve
inert
The President feels that there is
opportunity now for a conference to
take up and complete the work of
the 1921 meeting, which laid down
the r553 rule as to capital ships and
also found it possible to limit pro-
porriorately aircraft carrier tonnage
and to fix the maximum size Of
auxiliary craft and naval guns. A
dec sion as to extending an invita-
tior or even as to informal sounding
out of sentiment at foreign capitals
with regard TO a further conference
is unlikely, however, until the Secre
tarv has completed the preliminary
surrey just undertaken.
The study probably will require
discussions with the Secretaries of
War and Navy and with the naval
and military experts of the Govern
ment, so the President may be made
fully aware of the practical and
technical aspects of the supplemental
conference proposal. There has been
no time for such conferences as yet,
because the data OF the original con-
ference are so extensive that Mr..
Kellogg, with other duties requiring
most of his attention, cannot COM
plete his examination for some time.
There is no doubt that the air.
craft question occupies a large place
in administration consideration of the
arms limitation matter. In view of
the recent controversies as to rela-
tive military value of battleships
and aircraft and also because of the
pressure for heavily increased air
craft appropriations, that subject al
ready has been given much thought.
There is a decided feeling in some
quarters that failure of the original
conference to reach an aircraft limi-
tation agreement does not foreclose
another effort to that end. Whether
this view reflects to any extent recent
official thought on the question in
London, Paris, Toxic and Rome is
not known.
In any eveent, II now appears GER
tain that no informal overtures to
other governments to learn their
views on the conference project will
be undertaken until the subject has
been fully explored here and a def
mite conclusion by the President
made possible. The various foreign
offices understand the tentative ma
ture of steps thus far taken in Wash
ington and there is little chance of
any misunderstanding on that score.
The governments have kept in
touch through their diplomatic mis-
sions here with the progress of
American official thought. Similar
conversations may have taken place
also at the various capitals between
American ambassadors and foreign Of
flee officials, but there have been no
recent reports of that nature TO the
Washington Government.