The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-10-13
American Intrigue in France

The incident of the expulsion from France
of the representative of the Hearst chain of
papers, Harold ]. T. Koran, by the Poincare-
BRAND government, while trivial in itself,
emphasizes gigantic clash of imperialist in
terests on French soil, and at the same time,
exposes another phase of the notorious dou-
ble-dealing of the state department of the
United States government at Washington
Koran was expelled from France because
he obtained, through bribery of employees
of the foreign office under BRAND the copy
of the secret memorandum containing the
text of the Ango-French naval accord. That
covenant between the tory government of
England and the renegade BRAND of France
was so obviously move against Yankee i'm
perlallsm that its contents were intended to
remain secret. Briefly it was pact where
by England and France agreed to support, in
future conferences on naval ornaments, the
proposition that battle cruisers be limited to
5000 tons, whereas the United States gov
eminent insists upon cruisers of not less
than 10000 tons. 1t is essential to American
imperialism to have cruisers of higher ton
mage than Britain because of the great dis
lance between American bases of naval sup
plies. If the light cruisers of the United
States were limited to 5000 tons it would be
impossible for them to travel around the
world, for the simple reason that they could
not carry sufficient fuel and auxiaries to
enable them to travel between bases
If the United States were not an imper-
ialist power, holding in subsection far-flung
possessions power with an aggressive pol
icy looking toward new war for a new re-
divicioo Of no II
more colonies, it would not need to demand
larger cruisers. The very fact that it does
demand larger cruisers proves that Coolidges
and Hoover's talk about defensive arma-
ments' is merely so much deceptive twaddle
Cruisers that range the seven seas are not
required for defensive purposes only.
But the United States also demands eight
inch guns, instead of the six-inch guns pro-
posed by Britain and France for 5000 ton
light cruisers. This would enable the light
American cruisers to attain greater firing
range and thus place the smaller cruisers at
a disadvantage in warfare.
The fact, however, that Hearsts pen valet,
Koran, was able to secure the document from
the French state department has tremendous
political implications. 1t is no ordinary case
of bribery. 1t emphasizes the we-known
fact that there are very influential politicians
in France who are playing the game of
American Imperialism to the extent of try
ing to discredit and defeat the present Poin-
care-Briand government that favors a close
alliance with British Imperialism and replace
it with government that favors an alliance
with the Wall Street imperialists. Hence the
worldwide struggle between the United
States imperialists and the British imperial
lists has its reflex in bitter internal political
struggles in France. They who revealed the
secret naval accord memorandum to Hearst's
Paris correspondent we're agents of Ameri-
can imperialism in the French foreign of
flee.
The expulsion of Koran by no means
closes the incident. That it will play an i'm
portant role in French political life is indi-
Gated by the comment of the French press.
The Liberte, in particular, urges the French
government to find the real culprit and adds
'For some time rumor has been going the
rounds in political circles that this famous
document which has caused such deep emotion
in diplomatic quarters communicated by
functionary of the Foreign Office to en-