The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-03-23
DISARMAMENT
MEET BLOCKED
BY The LEAGUE
Coolidge Bitter Over
French "Trickery"
Especial to The Daily wOrkerl

IdlHI hopes IHdL the league OF nations |
can or will 90 thru with its worldwide |
disarmament conference this year
flckered out today
The narrow escape from complete |
collapse which the league has just ex-
perlenced at Geneva is regarded by
administration officials here as the
final act in a long drama Of evasion
and croumveHtion Of this govern
ment's plans.
simultaneously with the abandon
ment Of the last hope so far as the
league is concerned, President Coo
lidge inaugurated series of confer
ences with his principal advisers on
European affairs to determine a course
of American procedure and to ascer-
tain what, if anything, can be done in
the somewhat embarrassing circum-
stances.
Coolidge "Tricked."
Administration officials make no
bones about their feeling that the
dominant league powers have trick
ed Coolidge in the matter of the dis
armament conference, and by a policy
of subterfuge and downright misrepre-
sentation have succeeded in so shap-
ing affairs that 1925 probably will pass
without any progress made in the way
Of international agreements on the re-
striction of ornaments.
No Conference Now.
The principal question to be decided
by the president, in conference with
Ambassador Houghton, called home
from London, and Minister Hugh S.
Gibson, summoned to Washington from
Geneva, is whether the United States
can properly initiate any move now
toward the holding of conference
this year. The concensus of opinion is
understood to be that no move is pos
sible at this time,-at least, no move
with any real chance for success.
France Blocked Proposed Call.
A year ago, President Coolidge in
itiated a movement toward new dis
armament conference. American dip
lomats abroad were instructed to
Sound OUT the various powers, the
necessary procedure before any for
NAL invitations could be dispatched
OF the great powers, France alone
adopted negative and somewhat hos
tile attitude, and drew her smaller
allies, notably Poland, into supporting
her. The pressure, however, became
acute, and being unwilling to be put
into the position of blocking a second
Washington conference, France and
her allies prevailed upon the league to
beat American to it" by issuing the
invitations for a disarmament confer
ence at Geneva This was done with
haste that officials here considered
at least undignified.
Made-To-order Delays.
France, according to the version
generally accepted here, counted
strongly on Americas rejecting the
leagues invitation, thus affording an
excuse for ditching the whole under
taking. President Coolidge, however,
accepted the invitation, and abandoned
his own plans for calling the powers
to the Washington conference table
again. From that point on, persistent
delays" have blocked the proposed
conference. The date for the prelim-
mary meeting, set for Feb. Is, was
abandoned upon the French argument
that Germany should be a member of
the league before the nations of the
world could properly sit down to talk
about scrapping their armament. Ger
many's entrance into the league was
set for March.
League Conference Impossible.
Now, however, Germany's entry to
! the league has been postponed until at
least September, if not longer, because
France injected into the proceedings
at Geneva the demand that if Germany
were granted a seat on the league
council, Frances eastern ally, Poland,
should also be given seat, thus main
tanning French dominance in the coun-
Gil.
AS conditions now are, 1t is regard
GU hCAO ob AAAPOpoAbAC AOA NhC AS660N
to stage conference this year. The
Locarno agreements have been virtu-
ally nullihed at Geneva. Instead of
the peace spirit prevailing, there has
been created an atmosphere Of mutual
distrust and rivalry that would make
abortive any attempt really to reduce
ornament. Besides, France can still
argue that Germany is not yet mem
Der OF the league.
object Of Gathering.
II was to discuss this and other as
poets Of European affairs that Presi-
dent Coolidge called Ambassador
Houghton and Minister Gibson home
from Europe. Out Of the conference
inaugurated at the White House today
may conceivably grow a new Coolidge
policy toward Europe. The concensus
of opinion was, however, that nothing