Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-06

CContlnued from First Page.)
and and others, this better understand
ing seems now to have been to large
extent attained. But it must be clear
ly understood that this deeper friend
ship of the two powers is not directed
against any one else, least Of all against
the United States.
It does not imply, for example, that
France intends to cease her rapproche-
ment with Germany or to interrupt
her negotiations with Italy. Friendly
agreement of all four powers is essen
tial to unified Europe, just as friend
ly cooperation of these powers with
the United States is essential to a uni
fed world.
Nor does Franco British friendship
imply Franco British alliance. More
than once Great Britain has said to
France: You don't need navy. We
have navy" Which might be in
terpreted as proposal for an alliance
But France has always preferred to
maintain complete independence and to
save her own means of national defense.
The Franco-British naval compromise
arose from the deadlock between the
French and British viewpoints in the
League Disarmament Commission. The
French delegate, Paul Boncour, felt
that since an agreement on all auxiliary
ships had been found impossible, the
Washington agreement might be carried
at least one step farther and limitation
applied to the next largest class of ships,
namely, 10,000-ton cruisers. He made
this suggestion to the British Admiral
Kelly, who forwarded it to London.
British Reply Favorable.
Great Britain replied in note to
France last June accepting and adding
that If France would support this
thesis in the commission it would en-
able Britain to withdraw her previous
opposition to the French viewpoint re-
garding trained reserves. NJ. BRAND in
a note on July 20 said he would prefer
that the British accept the French
compromise proposed in the diSarna-
ment commission on March 19, 1927,
but was willing to make concession
to the British provided the limitation
OF submarines applied only to those over
800 tons.
M. BRAND thought that the United
States, Japan and Italy would agree
and urged the communication of the
Franco-British views to these coun-
tries. He said also that France and
Britain must continue to work to-
gether to find other means of agree
ment If these should fail.
On July % Great Britain agreed.
Foreign Minister Chamberlain's prema-
ture announcement of this agreement
in the House of Commons is attributed
to his illness. France never dreamed of
making the compromise public before it
had been communicated to the United
States and has ever since been in favor
OF publishing all the documents. The
notes above referred to were all COM
municated to Washington the last week
in September.
ReparatiOns Stand Plain.
In the matter of reparations, the
French government has been keeping
intimately in touch with Parker Gilbert
the American reparations agent, and is
not conscious Of having departed from
American conceptions.
France simply feels that the Dawes
annuities must be rearranged to last as
long as the debt payments to Great
Britain and the United States and must
NC oA6C CllOuSh W eIldDle FRANCE 10
meet these payments and have some
thing left over for rebuilding the dew
astated regions. without raising the
question of war debts again, she is
willing that Germany should benefit
proportionately from any concessions
that the United States or Great Brit
ain may ultimately care to make on the
debts.
Regarding the proposed floating Of
German bonds on the American mar
ket, France realizes both the technical
and political situations make this mo-
nentarily difficult and would be salts
ned merely II the principle Of such no
tation were established.