Evening star., 1927-11-20
CECL'S ATTACK ON BRITAIN'S
NAVAL POLICY ROUSES STORM
Viscount Lays Breakdown OF
Geneva Conference to Big
Ship Program.
Disarmament Becomes Cru
ciaI Issue in Eng|and'S
Political Arena.
BY A. G. GARDINER.

LONDON, November 19.-Has NlS
count Cecil hindered or helped the
cause of Anglo-Amcrican understand
inc by the broaGside he delivered
against the government in the House
Of Lords this week on the breakdown
Of the Geneva naval conference?
No speech since the war has
aroused such furious controversy in
political circles. While declaring that
American insiStonce on retaining the
right 10 put &-inch guns on any
cruiser was a grave obstacle to an
agreement. the viScount threw the
main weight of responsibility for the
failure OF the conference on the Brit
ish admiralty, which, he said, scarce
" concealed it's hostility to the whole
Proceedings: on the government s
ukowarm attitude ana on Winston
Churchill's refusal to be bound by the
principle Of mathematical parity with
America in naval strength. That re-
fusal, he declared. barred the door
against any agreement with the
United States on naval armamcnts.
ViseouEt Is Denounced.
J. rum liiG Sthtl illIitIL oApN ca
avalanche of indignant reputation Of
this presentation of the case has de-
scended on Niscount Cecil. The gov
ernment claims that England alone
presented the conference with really
considerable scheme for limitation of
naval armaments, and that America :
nsistence on S-inch guns for cruisers
was the main cause of the breakdown.
Liberal and labor press. on the other
hand, indorsc ViScount CecilS indict-
mcnt.
Moderate opinion takes the view
that while the viscount was right in
the main details of his Indictment of
the government and the at1miralty,
he has understated Americas share
of responsibility for the failure. and
that. in overstating the case against
his own country. he has prejudiced
American opinion in regard 10 Eng
lands good faith and put obstacles in
the way of future negotia tions.
Viscount Cecil's passion for dis
armament and for the League of
Nations has become the single obses-
mind. and his impaticnce with the
caution and lukewarmhess of his own
party now has made his breach with
conservatism final.
Disarmament Is Crucial Issue.
Whatever the effect of the outburst
on the Tory party. Viscount Cecil
undoubtedly has made the question of
naval disarmament the most crucial
issue in British politics and himself
the spearhead of the attack. 1t is i'm
nrobab bic that he will associate himself
formally with the Liberals or with
Labor. for that would tend to make
disarmament a definite party issue.
The writer's view is that the Cecil
sensation will have the effect of
clearing the issue and creating a more
favorable atmosphere for discussion
on both sides of the Atlantic. 1t may
be only a coincidence that Viscount
Cecils resignation has been followed
by the governments decision to post
p0ne construction of two cruisers. but
the fact is significant both of the gov
ernment's present desire to ease the
situation and of the state of public
opinion, which, as the writer indicated
last week. is moving powerfully in the
direction of peace.
While Lord Balfour repudiates his
cousins analysis of the Geneva failure
and lays the onus chiefly on America S
indispOsition to recognize England S
special need of protection for ocean
borne food supplies, he is in subStan-
tial agreement with Viscount Cecil on
the lesson to be learned from the
Geneva failure. That is, that a naval
understanding between England and
America is a matter not of meticu-
lously counting up tons and guns in
each others fleet, but of realizing