Evening star., 1925-09-23
CA|[LAUX ARRIVES,
CONFIDENT FRENCH
DEBT WILL Be PAID
Offer Ready to Submit to u.
S., But Details Still Are
Kept Secret.
LEAVES FOR WASHINGTON
SHORTLY AFTER LANDING
Commission With Finance Minis
ter Includes Best Financial
Heads of Country.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
NEW YORK. September 23.-Ex-
pressing confidence that the French
war debt to the United States can he
settled upon the basis of peace and
Righteousness Joseph Caillaux.
French finance minister, arrived on
the steamship Paris today as the head
Of French government mission
which will open negotiations with the
American Debt Commission in Wash
ington tomorrow.
Il have come, accompanied by emf
nent members Of all political parties
in the French Parliament" he said. in
a prepared statement handed to news
paper men who boarded the Paris at
Quarantine, ito bring a settlement OF
all our debts. There is no instance in
history in which France has failed to
do so.''
Details Kept Secret.
The details of his plan are a closely
guarded secret, which has been re
served for the ears of Secretary of
the Treasury Mellon and his American
conferees. The precise sum which he
will offer to begin paying at once was
the subject of earnest, continuous dis
cussion between him and colleagues
several of whom are experts in pre-
pairing financial bills likely to he ac-
cepted by the country. The minister
was receptive to their suggestions, but
did not mention to any of them his
own figures.
NJ. CaillauX. recalled from the po-
litical obscurity into which his war
tTT-fS tn- l,r Il IL =.
country out of the wilderness of post
war financial problems, reiterated
again and again that he hoped and ex-
pected to go home with a satisfactory
agreement.
Minister Caillaux, who is about five
feet eight inches tall, was dressed in
a dark blue suit, Oxford gray topcoat.
dark green felt hat, blue shirt with
collar to match, and a dark tie. He
| is almost completely bald.
Perturbed by Questions.
He spoke excellent English and used
expressive gestures. When newspaper
men began to lombard him with ques-
tions he said; Don't talk SO fast
and don't swallow your words. That
is the trouble with many Americans
and 1t makes it hard for them to be
understood"
The minister was visibiy perturbed
by the first question put TO him, which
was about as follows:
I'VE know you were not convicted
of treason, but will you tell US just
what you were convicted OFF"
Caillaux threw up his hands in
apparent disgust.
Il am the finance minister of my
country" he declared, and refuse to
answer such question"
nf
leagues and l. We shall have great
pleasure in meeting the men of good
will who form the war debt funding
commission. We are convinced that,
thanks to our mutual loyalty, we
shall be able to reach an equitable
and practical agreement.
Expects Agreement.
The United States and France
which have twice fought side by side
upon the battlefield, cannot but attain
a close understanding upon the basis
Of peace and righteousness"
NJ. CaillauX was asked if he thought
the debt question could be settled in
a few days.
II hope So" he answered.
do you expect to get the same
terms for France as England got?"
Better he replied emphatically
The French minister was closely
pressed to reveal the general terms
excused, taking the position that it
would be unethicai for him to dis
close the details before they had been
submitted to American officials.
Men of Experience.
The French minister left the ship
| by the freight gangplank and through
| the baggage department of the pier,
| where a number Of automobiles await
| ed his party. With a police escort the
delegation went to the Pennsylvania
station. The party left for Washing
| ton at 1910 Eastern standard time.
Only three members of the present
mission have been in the United
! States before. They are the Marquis
| de Chambrun, Senator Paul Dupuy
and Joseph Simon, whose name as the
| French financial agent is signed to
| the notes creating the debt. The other
| members of the mission are Senator
| Ferdinand Chapsal, Senator Henry
Berenger, Senator Louis Dausset, re-
porter of the budget Of the ministry of
| finance in the Senate; Deputy Maurice
| Bokanowski, formerly chief adviser
| of President Poincare on financial
matters: Deputies Vincent-Auriol and
LamoureuX and Andre MoreuX-Neret,
| financial expert, and NJ. Haquenin,
| inspector of finance.
Marquis de Chambrun is a descend
ant of Lafayette. NJ. CaillauX relies
| greatly upon him for his remarkable
knowledge of America and for his
| long experience in foreign affairs.
| Senator Dupuy also possesses wide
knowledge of America. He is the prin-
| cipal proprietor and editor of LIE Petit
| Parisien, the newspaper with the
| largest circulation in the world. This
| journal opposed NJ. Caillaux during
and Immediately after the war.
| Berenger Master of Senate.
/ Senator Berenger as a non-partisan n
moderate, is regarded on financial
questions as master of the French
Senate. OF the 30s Senators, 220 are
counted as taking Senator Berenger's s
convictions on finance as their own.
Senator Dausset has been almost
alone in the Senate in saying for the
| last four years that France must pay
| her foreign debts. He has repeatedly
said that France never could have a
satisfactorily balanced budget until
provisions were made for the foreign
debts.
| The commission was met at quaran-
tine by Emile Daeschner, French Am
bassador to the United States; Myron
| T. Herrick, American Ambassa dor TO
! France, and Gerard B. Winston, as
/ istant undersecretary of the Treasury