Evening star., 1927-02-16
TEXT OF RESPONSE BY FRANCE
REJECTING NAVAL FARLEY PLAN

NLJLA i uN0 INA '
| The text of Frances reply to the
| American invitation for a naval con
| ference. as made public by the State
| Department, follows:
| The American Government ha:
| been good enough to- address to the
! signatories of the naval convention
of Washington of 1922 and as one
| of them to the French government
| a memorandum proposing to neEo-
tate at Geneva between the five
powers. distinteresting themselves
| from the general work of the reduc-
| tion of armaments carried on foi
| the last 10 months by the Prepar-
| atory Commission of Disa rma ment
an agreement with view to limit
| ing from now on naval armament
! for the categOries of vessels which
are not included in the treaty oi
Washington.
THE French government wishes
first of all to say how much il
appreciates the lofty aim of the
American note. The generous ideal
ism which inspires it is in accord
ance with its own views. No power
could be more appreciative of the
noble initiative of President Cool
idge than France. which never ceases
TO give proofs of her resolutely pacific
will.
1T desires equally to show how
much 1t has appreciated the friendly
attention of the Federal Government
In leaving its proposals flexible In
an endeaVor to take into account the
special conditions and requirements
OF the continental powers. The
SHOWN that it Is quite aware of the
very clear position taken by the
French government in the question ol
naval disarmament. 1t will, there
fore. not be astonished to see French
opinion preoccupied with its duties
as member of the League of Ma
tions and with it's moral obligations
toward All the powers which form
part of it.
Danger to Geneva Seen.
"On it's part the government of the
republic would have been happy tn he
able to adhere to these proposals with.
out reserve and the entire French ma
tion would have congratulated itself
on seeing the two countries again AS
soclated In an enterprise so con.
slstent with their common traditions.
Out an attentive study of the Ameri-
can proposals has convinced the gov
ernment or the republic that in their
present form they risk compromising
the success of the task already com,
menced at Geneva with the active
help OF the representatives of the
American Government.
Article eight of the covenant of
tho League Of Nations has made the
seheral limitation of ar1naments one
OF the essential duties of the League.
"lthout doubt in 1921 the powers to
Whom the United States are TODAY
appealing already united their efforts
10 reallze by themselves a limitation
or naval ornaments. At the time II
TOOK place the calling Of the Wash
ington conference was fully justified.
but circumstances today are different.
me League Of Nations has begun its
task: The conclusion Of an arms traf.
nc convention. the elaboration Of a
convention on the private manufac-
tufe or war materials, the conyoca.
ton finally of a preparatory commits
SION with a view to the meeting Of a
conference for the general limitation
or ornaments, a commission to which
all the countries of the world have
oeen invited and in which the greater
part of them participate, mark So
many decisive stages toward the aim
fixed by the covenant.
without doubt the American Gov.
ernment Is not thinking Of withdraw
ing from the task undertaken the ef.
Hclent collaboration which for nearly
q year It's delegates have contributed
~ promises, on the contrary, to con-
tinue 1t. But its proposal has never
tneiess Tor practical result to divest
the preparatory commission Of an es
sential question which figures on it's
program; to constitute on the side
special conference in which only a
rev powers should participate, and
whose decisions under penalty of be-
ing vain must, at least in their prin-
ciples, be later recognized as valid by
powers which would not have been
admitted to discuss them.
Wants All Nations to.Act.
ITO decide today without consulting
the League Of Nations and determine
method and to seek a partial solution
or the problem In preoccupying one
SELF with maintaining the actual ex-
listing situation, than in determining
the conditions proper to ensure the
security OF each one: to limit beside
this effort to a few powers would be
Doth TO weaken the authority of the
League Of Nations so essential to the
peace Of the world and to injure the
principle of the equality of states
which Is at the very base of the
covenant of Geneva and to which on
it's part the French government re-
mains firmly attached.
THE principle of the equality of
the powers, great or small, Is one of
the recognized rules Of the League of
Nations. Technical committees have
met, all the maritime powers have
participated in their labors, they have
pointed out the necessities for their
defense. How could one admit that
at the moment when the preparatory
commission Is called upon to formulate
the conclusion of it's discussions the
five most important maritime powers
should take cogniZance of the ques-
ton and as far as it concerns them
give 1t a definitive solution of nature
to prejudice the final decisions for
the entire naval problem?
'In fact. besides the categories to
which the new limitation should apply
are those which for the majority of
powers present the greatest interest.
An agreement limited to few navies
could be explained for battleships:
practically they are the only ones to
possess any. 1t is otherwise when the