New Britain herald., 1927-02-10

1 frankly recognized. The Americ an government believes that they can be overcome and that they must be overcome, since the consequences of failure to overcome them, and to make some definite, if only partial, agreement for the limitation of armament, would constitute set back to the cause of international | peace too great to deserve serious contemplation asa possibility.
 Thinks Plan Practicable.
 Admitting reluctantly that the existing political situations in cer- | tain parts of the world may Gender the problem of universal limitation | incapable of immediate solution as a whole, the American government believes that it is entirely practi- cable for the nations of the. world to proceed at once to the isolation and separate solution of such prob lems as may appear susceptible of such treatment meanwhile continu- ing to give sympathetic considera- tion and discussion to comprehen- sive proposals aimed at the simul- taneous limitation of land, sea and air armaments by general agree ment when such an agreement may be warranted by existing world con- dtions. The American government believes that the adoption of such a course is the duty of the govern ments represented on the prepara- tory commission and that by 80 do- ing they will insure the achieve ment by the commission and by the general conference of concrete, even though perhaps only partial results, thus facilitating progress toward the final solution of the general prob- lem.
 The American government as its representatives on the preparatory commission have repeatedly stated, feels that land and air armaments constitute essentially regional prob lems to be solved primarily by re- gional agreements. The American army and air force are at minimum strength. Agreement for land and air limitation in other regions of the world would not be dependent upon the reduction or limitation of Amer ican land and air forces. Therefore the American government does not feel that it 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 Io !, practical matter by measures affect ing the navies of a limited group of powers. This has been clearly estab- lshed by the success of the Wash ington treaty limiting naval arma- ment. The United States, as the ini- tiator Of the Washington conference 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 it's opinion, lead to such an agree ment.
 The discussions ever a period of six months in Geneva have been most useful in the opportunity af forded for an exchange of views as to the general problem of naval limitation, and on the basis of these discussions it is felt that there is a possibility of reconciliating many of the divergent views which have been expressed in such a manner as to meet the requirements of the naval powers and ,enable them to decide upon acceptable measures of limi- tation.
 In order to advance definitely to- ward limitation agreement, the government of the United States takes this method of addressing an inquiry to the government sigma tories of the Washington treaty limiting naval armament as to whether they are disposed to en- power their representatives at the forthcoming meeting of the prepara- tory commission to initiate negotia- tions looking toward an agreement providing for limitation in the classes of naval vessels not covered by the Washington treaty.
 The American government is not unmindful of the fact that the pre- paratory commission is not specific ally charged with duty of concluding international agreements, and that it's task is primarily that of prepar- ing the agenda for a conference to be called at a later date. Neverthe- less, being sincerely desirous of the success of the preparatory commits sion, the American government makes this suggestion in the firm be- lief that the conclusion at Geneva, as soon as possible, among the pow CTS signatories of the Washington treaty, of an agreement for further naval limitation, far from interfering with or detracting from the success of the preparatory commissions aims, would constitute a valuable contribution to the sum of achieve ment attributable to that commits sion and would facilitate the task of the final conference in dealing with the particularly complex problems of land air armament, perhaps capable of solution for the present only by regional limitation agreements.
 It seems probable that under any circumstances the final conference will not be able to meet during this calendar year. The coming into ef- feet of agreements reached by 1t might be delayed for a considerable rnriod for a multitude of causes. Therefore the American government believes that those powers which may be able to arrive at an agree ment for further naval limitation at an earlier date would rot be justi- fed in consciously postponing that