Evening star., 1927-12-01
Delegates Make Unexpected
Progress Toward Set.
ting Program.
PROPOSALS OF SOVIET
SKlLLFULLY OVERCOME
League Evolves Plan Based on Sc.
curity, Arbitration and Prac.
tical Disarmament.
By PAUL SCOTT MOwRER.


Bv Cattle to The Star and Ch,eago Dali,
News Cepylight 1927
GENEVA, DecembeF 1.-The League
Of Nations disarmament program Is
making sudden and unexpected prog
ress. In a single day. what looked
like insuperable difficulties have beer
skillfuliy overcome and the plan oI
work has begun TO take FORM.
While neither Great Britain nor Italy
thus far has expressed itself. there
seems to be no doubt OF the general
disposition of all states. including the
United States and Russia, to cooper
ate to the common end Of organizing
peace The atmosphere seems to
have changed for the better since the
preparatory commission met six
months ago. There are various rea-
sons for this amelioration
Serious Efforts Seen.
The failure of the sAnglo-American
naval conference, the strong resolu
4 tions voted by the League Assembly.
the pressure brought on the Brltish
government by political opposition,
: Russia S apparent desire for rap
prochement with the other powers, ana
finally the shock of recent war scares'
all seem to have contributed to the
feeling that the time has come to re-
new serious efforts toward concrete
accomplishment.
Certain viewpoints still are wldels
opposed and there are still many tech
nical difficulties; yet there is at least
a nucleus of agreement and outline OF
method. Great diplomatic skill has
been shown by both the French ana
Germans In overcoming the initial Oh;
stacle presented by the Russian pro-
nosaI for complete and immediate gen
erai disarmament. This was impos.
sibIe to accept. yet 1t was not desired
to offend the Russians by rejecting e.
The proposal, therefore, was ad.
tourned after Edouard Benes OF
Czechoslovakia pointed out that SINH
lar proposals presented BY Norway IN
1922 were discussed three weeks and
rejected as utterly isnpractical
Proceeds With Program;
1,his adjustment enables the League
/ to- proceed with it's own program. the
nresent status of which represents six
sxrs &c hard work on the disarma.
r,feft problem This League Assembly
two months ago adopted resolutions
snstructing the Council to hasten tech.
meal preparation and call a general
disarmament conference. It possible.
before next September.
The League plan as thus far evolved
Is based on the inseparability of Sc
curity. arbitration and disarmament
France. supported by numerous small
It States. has maintained that secu
rity--that is to say. arrangements for
making common cause, against pos
sible aggressor-nust precede dis
armament Germany. supported more
OF. less by Great Britain and now by
Russia. holds that disarmament should
come first. and viii in itself give snf<
ficient security.
While the League Rs a whole adopts
the French thesis. It has been decided
In deference to the German thesis that
preparations for the general confer.
snce shall be carried on simultaneously
shy two commissions. one dealing with
the technical aspects of disarmament.
AID the other with questions of secu
ritv and arbitration. The latter com
mission il baw, being organized Rus
sia will be- represented thereon by an
observer, but the United States will
not be represented.
Foreign to L. s. Stand
! The American viewpoint, as officially
Sexpounded by Hugh Wilson. head of
the American delegation. is that Sc.
curity is a regional affair and hence
I'm the question of European security
we are not interested. The United
States believes however. in regional
security pacts and considers the four
power Pacific treaty negotiated at the
Washington arms conference as a
model one.
We hope the Leagues security
efforts will succeed and we win con-
slider. IT'S eventual recommendations
and will continue to participate in the
disarmament discussions proper.
There exists already preliminary
draft OF convention for dis
armament II is incomplete and full
of reservations, yet sufficiently ad.
ydflced that Germany is eager to pro.
ceed to a second reading at the earIi.
est possible date. not later than Feb.
ruafy.
The new security commission, which
Is meeting for the first time today,
has been instructed fully by the
Assenabiy. Its mission is to cncour,
age arbitration agreements. whether
special or general: suggest local
security pacts like Locarno prepare
for the carrying out Of the security
guarantees already afforded by the
League covenant ask member states
exactly what help they are willing to
give against possible aggressors, and
study general financial aid to possible
victims of aggression.
The commission may decide to ask
the United States 10 promise not 10
give arms or supplies TO states desig
mated AZ aggress0rs by the League
Unless the United States will promise
this there is a risk of conflict over
blockade and neutrality rules between
the United States and any League
coalition engaged in resisting aggres
sion.
q