Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-29
BRITAIN TO ACCEDE
TOU.S. OPPOSITION
ON REVISING PACT
May Present Views Without
Conference Taking Any
Action on Proposal.
GIBSON TO REAFFIRM
CAPITAL SHIPS STAND
Technical Committee Reports Prog
ress on Destroyer Limitation.
Cruiser Consideration Postponed.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associ ated Press.
| GENEVA, June 29.-Great Britain
according to information in authorize
| tive circles, has tacitly recognized the
| impossibility of revising the Washing
| ton naval treaty at the present tri
| partite conference here without the
consent of the United States as one
Of the Washington signatories.
| This reported British acceptance OF
| the American viewpoint does not
mean, however, that the question OF
| the size of battleships will not be dis
cussed here, as the British delegation
| seems keenly DESTROYS of an opportu'
nifty to present it's views before plen'
airy session of The conference.
1t is possible that the American
| delegation will not deny the British
their opportunity, on the clear under.
standing, however, that mere pres,
entation of the British standpoint will
not involve the formal reopening of
the Washington decisions, to which
the American delegation remains fix
eddy opposed.
Gibson Statement Expected.
Hugh S. Gibson, head of the Ameri-
can delegation, may issue a state
ment setting forth the objections of
the United States to discussion of the
capital ship question prior to the Sec
ond Washington conference in 1881.
The problem of fixing maximum
tonnage for cruisers and the method
of limitation now looms as a delicate
question, since the British wish to
talk in terms of numbers Of cruisers
rather than in total tonnage, and pre-
sumably desire a larger number than
they now possess.
The Japanese today admitted the re-
ceipt of instructions from Toxic, hut
declined to say whether these COM
mitted them TO actual reopening of
the question of capital ships.
The British Dominion delegation
has been strengthened by the arrival
of Kelvin O'Higgins, foreign minister
and minister of justice in the new
cabint of the Irish Free State; John
Costello, attorney general Of the Free
State, and Ernest Lapointe, Canadian
minister of justice. Mr.. O'Higgins
enjoys the distinction of being the
only foreign minister attending the
present conference or now in Geneva
IN. any capacity.
Experts Report Progress.
The technical committee of the
naval limitation conference, following
an hour-and-half discussion of the
destroyer class this morning, issued a
communique saying that "a consider
able measure of agreement between
the three delegations" had been re-
vealed in the course of the meeting.
Upon leaving the meeting, the va
rious members registered satisfaction
over the results of their discussion.
They planned to devote the afternoon
in expounding to their respective dele
cations the progress made during the
morning. They will reconvene for fur
Their discussion of the cruiser class to-
morrow morning.
A new danger is seen by close OBJ
servers OF the Coolidge conference"
as the tripartite naval limitation par
ley has become known colloquially and
in the headlines, in the fact that
political animositieS may be engen-
dered by Japan's support of the Brit
ish demand for re-examining the
Washington naval accord.
American Delegates Adamant.
The Americans are adamant in their
decision not to resurrect decisions
reached at Washington at the 1922
conference as regards capital ships,
for they look upon the washington
treaty as not merely an arrangement
to limit capital warships. but as an
instrument whereby a new era OF
peace on the Pacific Ocean was In
augurated. In American circles it IS
recalled that at the conference the
United States consented to the main
tenance of the status quo of Ameri-
can Notifications at Guam and in the
Philippines, while Japan agreed to
ratio in battleships considerably be-
low that of the United States.
One of the reasons why the Ameri-
cans are opposed to rediscussing
things that were settled at Washing
ton is the fear that such a step
might arouse a new and undesirable
examination of the international po-
litical situation, in the course of
which the question might be raised
about the wisdom of increasing the
strength of the American bases at
Guam and in the Philippines.
Just what prompted Japan's sud
den shift to the British proposal was
still the subject of conjecture today.
Some observers hold the opinion that
the Japanese are flirting with both the
British and American delegations.
Others maintain that the japanese
really see in the British plan means
of curtailing expenses, while still
others contend that Japan, sincerely
DESTROYS of preventing a rupture of
the negotiations, is trying to force
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