Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-10
FURTHER NAVAL CUTS URGED
ON POWERS BY PRESIDENT

ton of armament be conditioned upon
the acceptance by all the world or q
comprehensive plan covering All
classes and types of armament, there
would be little, il any, prospect oil
actual progress toward arms nmlta
ton in the near future.
The above difficulties must be frank
Iy recognized. The American Govern
ment believes that they can be over
come and that they must be overcome
since the consequences of a failure To
overcome them, and to make some
definite. if only partial, agreement
for the limitation of armament would
constitute n setback 60 the cause of
international peace too great to de-
serve serious contemplation as a pos
sibiity.
Admitting reluctantly that the eX'
listing political situations in certain
parts Of the world may render the
problm of universal limitation inca
pable of immediate solution as a whole.
the American Government believes
that it is entirely practicable for the
nations of the world to proceed at
once to the isolation and separate so.
luton of such problems as may APP
pear susceptible of such treatment,
meanwhile continuing TO give sym
pathetic consideration and discussion
to comprehensive proposals aimed at
the simultaneous limitation of land,
sea and air ornaments by q general
agreement when such an agreement
may be warranted by existing world
conditions.
Would Facilitate Progress.
The American Government believes
that the adoption of such q course is
the duty of the governments repre-
scented on the preparatory commission,
and that by so doing they will insure
the achievement by the commission
and by the general conference of con
crete. even though perhaps only
partial, results. thus facilitating prog
ress toward the final solution of the
general problem.
The American Government, as its
representatives on the preparatory
commission have repeatedly stated,
feels that land and air ornaments
constitute essentially regional prob
lens to be solved primarily by re-
gtonal agreements. The American
Army and air force are at minimum
strength. Agreement for land and
air limitation in other regions of the
world Eould not be dependent upon
the reduction or Limitation OF Ameri-
can land and air forces. Therefore
the American Government does not
feel that 1t can appropriately offer
definite suggestions to other powers
in regard to the limitation of these
categories of armament.
The problem of the limitation of
naval armament, while not regional in
character, can be dealt with as a
practical matter by measures affect
ing the navieS of a limited group of
powers. This has been clearly es-
ia blished by the success of the Wash
ington treaty limiting naval arma-
ment. The United States, as the
initiator of the washington confer
ence, and as one of the principal
naval powers. has direct interest
in this question, and, being both
ready and willing to enter into an
agreement further limiting naval
armament, feels itself privileged to
indicate a course of procedure which
will, in its opinion. lead to such an
agreement.
Geneva Work Useful.
six months in Geneva have been
forded for an exchange of views as
to the general problem of naval linn
itation, and on the basis of these
discussions it is felt that there is a
possibility of reconciling many of the
divergent views which have been ex-
pressed in such a manner as to meet
the requirements of the naval pow
ers and enable them to decide upon
measures of limitation.
In order to advance definitely
toward a limitation agreement, the
Government of the United States
takes this method of addressing an
inquiry to the Governments signatories
of the Washington treaty limiting
naval armament as to whether they
are disposed TO empower their repre-
sentatives at the forthcoming meeting
of the preparatory commission to in
itiate negotiations looking toward an
agreement providing for limitation in
the classes of naval vessels not cover
ed by the Washington treaty.
The American Government is not
unmindful of the fact that the pre-
paratory commission is not specifically
charged with the duty of concluding
agreements, and that its
task is primarily that of preparing
the agenda for q conference to be
called at later date. Nevertheless,
being sincerely DESTROYS of the sue.
cess of the preparatory commission,
the American Government makes this
suggestion in the firm belief that the
conclusion at Geneva, as soon as pos.
sible, among the powers signatories
of the Washington treaty of an agree.
ment for further naval limitation, far
from interfering with or deracting
from the success of the preparatory
commissions aims, would constitute
valuable contribution to the sum of
achievement attributable to that com.
mission and would facilitate the task
or the f1nal conference in dealing with
the particularly complex problems of
iand and air armament, perhaps ca
pable of solution for the present only
by regional limitation agreements.
Final Farley Unlikely i'm 1927.
1t seems probable that under any
the final conference will
NOT De aple TO meet curing this calen-
dar year. The coming into effect of
agreements reached by it might be de.
layed Tor considerable period for q
multitude of causes. Therefore. the
american Government believes that
those powers which may be able to
arrive at an agreement for further
naval limitation at an earlier date
would not be justified in consciously
postponing that agreement and there.
by opening the way for a recrude.
scenee of a spirit of competitive naval
pudding development greatly to be
deplored by all governments and PEG.
Piles. nv
The American Government feels
tnat the general principles of the
washington treaty offer a suitable
basis for further discussion among its
signatories. e'As
Although hesitating at this time to
put forward rigid proposals az regards
the ratios of naval strength to he
maintained by the different nnu.arss