Evening star., 1928-03-15
a NATIONS RENEW
EFFORT TOD|SARM
U. S. Strongly Represented at
Geneva-RusSia and Tur-
key in League ParIey.
BY JOHN GUNTHER.

BY Cable TO The star and Chicago Daily
News. Copyright 10@S.
GENEVA, March 15.LThe Prepara-
tory Disarmament Commission of the
League Of Nations opened It's session
here today under the chairmanship of
j. j. Loudon Of Holland, and with "a
nations participating. including Rus
sia, Turkey and the United States.
After Commute session the COM
mission adopted the resolution of Count
Won Bernstorff OF Germany to adjourn
the discussion of political matters until
Monday. when the Turks will have ar
rived. The commission adjourned dis
cussion Of the security committees re-
port until Friday.
The agenda has been shaped in three
parts. The first Is discussion of the Sc
curity committees report: second. con-
sideration Of the Russian disarmament
proposals. and third, discussion of the
present status Of the disarmament work
achieved SO far.
u. s. Delegation Strong.
The American delegation is one of
the most important that Washington
has yet sent to Geneva. The chairman
Is Hugh Gibson, Ambassador to Swift
zerland, and the chief experts are Ad-
miral Andrew Long and Maj. George
Strong.
The chief direct issue before the
commission Is whether full dress dis
armament conference, with most of the
nations of the world participating, will
be f,"t this year. The chief element
OF sensation Is the possibility of further
matte, and complete world disarma-
ment. Maxim Litvinoff heads the
Soviet delegation and he is said to have
plan for scrapping the navies of the
world in his pocket
The chief underlying question behind
the technical deliberations is the at
titude the United States will express
toward the leagues disarmament plans.
together with the possibility that Mr..
Gibson may formally present the sug-
gestion of the United States for the
outlawry OF war by multilateral treaties
among the great powers.
Divided on Conference Date.
AS to the question Of a world dis
armament conference this year. the
Germans and the Russians want it.
while France and England are opposed
In fact. Germany succeeded at the
December meeting of the commission
In having 1t adopted as a principle
that the conference must be called in
1928. France and England are known
to feel that the time Is not yet ripe
Tor a full conference. the failure of
which might be disastrous blow both
TO the leagues prestige and to future
disarmament itself. It Is fact that
France and England are entering even
this preliminary commission somewhat
half heartedly.
The opposition between the French
and German viewpoints on disarma-
ment Is profound. France wants the
present frontiers maintained and Is sup
ported IN this thesis by all the coun-
tries which. arising strong from the
World War. are still in Frances orbit.
France wants. generally speaking
series or regional security pacts guar
anteeing the present frontiers as an
essential preliminary to disarmament.
Locarno Is typical of such regional
pacts. but 1t has not been followed by
others.
Germans Want Action Now.
Germany on the other hand assumes
that the present frontiers may some
day be changed and therefore is in
clined to oppose strict regional pacts.
She prefers some general disarmament
arrangement to which the problems Of
security are Subordinated. Germany
points TO the stipulation of the league
covenant that all states should disarm
and 10 the fact that Germany itself Is
the only great power toward which this
stipulation has been exerted. Thus the
Germans want To force general airing
Of the whole question at full dress
conference.
The British attitude Is a compromise
between the French and German view
points with, however. the important
reservation that Great Britain can
undertake no guarantees and regional
pactS unless British interest are def
nitely involved
AT this session the Russians have q
seconder for their proposals in their
ally, Turkey.