Evening star., 1928-12-18
STRONG NAVY HELD
AID TO RELATIONS
Proof That U. S. Is Not
"BIuffing" Held Necessary
to Improve British Feeling.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

| From a quarter in Washington in po-
Eition to reflect British sentiment with
some authority comes the prediction
that Senate passage of the pending crul-
ser bill vii lpave the way to an Anglo
American naval understanding. The
view is advanced that as soon as Uncle
Sam shows he is not "blufflng" in the
matter of naval parity with John Bull,
the British government will see the wis
dom Of mutually satisfactory agree
ment.
That agreement, it is foreshadoWed,
will be virtually the one which the
United States proposed and Great Brit
! ain rejected at the unsuccessful Geneva
conference of 1927. Thus, in the opin-
ion of the authority in question, a meas
ure of American naval expansion may
promptly turn out to be means OF
Anglo-American naval limitation. 1t
was Americas great battleship program,
in full operation in 1921, which induced
Great Britain at the Washington con-
ference to surrender her ancient pre-
tension to supremacy of the sea.
Attention suddenly has been drawn in
Washington to the delicacy of the
Anglo-American relations-to use a
moderate description Of them-by the
amazing remarks uttered by Senator
Frederick H Gillett. Republican, of Mas
sachusetts in the Senate on December
IS. The former Speaker of the House
hitherto has opposed building additional
cruisers. He told the Senate his mind
was changed by something recently said
by DR.. Inge, "the gloomy dean" OF ST.
Pauls Cathedral London. DR.. Inge sug-
geSted that Great Britain some day
would unite with other European ma
tions "to draw Shylock's teeth"-a ref
erence to the United States expectation
that Europe will pay its war debts TO
this country. Senator Gillett informed
the Senate he is no longer in any doubt
that America must strengthen herself at
sea against the peril which the dean of
st. Paul's so unbluShingly depicts.
Relations Can Be Improved.
The Gillett-Inge incident is mainly
important as a straw which shows now
the Anglo-American wind is blowing.
There is not statesman in Washing
ton, American or British, who does not
know, and who will not privately admit,
that relations between the two coun-
tries are at the present moment capable
of a good deal OF improvement. 1t is
naval affairs which have poisoned them.
Until craftsmanship on one side of the
ocean, or on both sides, comes to grips
with the cruiser proposition, there is
every indication that Anglo American
relations will remain in a deadlock of
mutual suspicion and bad feeling. Out
of such a deadlock, as statesmen know,
, unpleasant situations sometimes develop.
Allen w. Dulles, lately Of the Amer1-
can foreign service and one of our
diplomatic representatives at the Ge-
neva limitation conferences of both 1925
and 1927, contributes constructive sug-
gestion to the January number OF
Foreign Affairs. He proposes that the
British should abandon the contention
that the United States restrict its
cruiser force chiefly to the small type
of cruiser, or shape its own naval pro-
gram to suit the asserted needs of the
British Empire for this type" On the
other hand, Mr.. Dulles suggests, "the
United States might properly be asked
to consider the British claim that the
use by the United States of its cruiser
tonnage for the construction of the
larger 8-inch gun cruisers would give
combat superiority even though there
were tonnage equality; that Is, parity of
combat strength and not alone parity
of tonnage should be considered"
Menace Considered Myth.
The young American diplomat is con-
fident agreement can be achieved 1t
both countries take the common sense
attitude that neither fleet is a menace
to the other" Mr.. Dulles there hits
what many Americans and many British
consider to be the milk in the naval
coconut. In both countries there is a
vast reservoir of popular common
sense" opinion that Uncle Sam and
John Bull have nothing to quarrel
about. In both countries a sentiment
nevertheless has grown up that their
respective fleets do in fact constitute
"a menace" to each other.
Many Americans, like many British,
blame professional naval men for
propagating this theory. Those who
/, hold that view are convinced that until
the statement III London and Washing
ton send the admirals below" and
themselves take the helm, Anglo Amer
lean relations win not definitely be
diveSted of gunpowder.
copyright 1920