Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-16
SOVIET ARMS CUT
| APPEAL RENEWED
| AT GENEVA PARLEY
Litvinoff Declares 1t Only Ef-
fective Way to Back Up
Kellogg Pact.
THREATS OF WAR FOUND
| STILL MENACING WORLD
Naval Differences Between U. S.
and Other Powers Becoming
More Acute, He Says.
BY the Associated Press.

GENEVA. April l6.-Maxim Lit
vinof1. Soviet vice commissar for for
eign affairs, renewed his appeal for ex-
tensive worldwide partial disarmament
in a dramatic speech before the pre-
paratory commission on disarmament
Of the League of Nations today.
The Russian spoke in English and
held every ones rspt attention as he
argued that rejection OF the Soviet
scheme meant dashing Of peoples
hope for reduction of armament bur-
dens.
He expressed his disapproyal of
repeated attempts of certain states
men to minimize the importance of
the kellogg pact renouncing war" ana
said he even feared that the attempts
to minimize the pact we're made with
view to creating extenuating circum-
stances for possible infringements, or
to weaken its importance as a starting
point for demand for disarmament.
Would Supplement Pact.
He declared the Kellogg pact was no
less binding for its participants and
presented no newer guarantees of Sc
curity than, for instance, the Locarno
agreements. On the other hand, he de-
clared, acceptance of the Soviet scheme
Tor partial disarmament would imme-
oiately diminish the menace of war.
He argued that the consideration of
technical draft could lead nowhere
and then made a particular allusion to
the naval problem. remarking that the
differences it presented not only had
not been Softened, but actually had be-
come more acute and rendered more
complicated by new questions.
While France and Great Britain NAV
nave arrived at solution satisfactory
TO their respective interests new differ
ences have arisen to take the place of
those settled-this time between the
Anglo French compromise and the
points Of view of the United States of
America and Italy. AS far as we know.
negotiations for the settlement of these
dinfrences have not even begun"
Sees Threats Of War.
M. Litvinoff characterized the COM
MISSIONS methods of technical iavesti-
cation of the armament problem as a
blind alley and will-of- the-wisp with
the gloom thicker than ever. He
warned his hearers that there had been
an increased number of threats of war
during the past year and declared that
the recent pronouncement of respon-
Sible statesmen and members of Par
lament all testified to the growth of
the alarm.
Happily, he said, along came the
Kellogg pact which, as a result of the
initiative of the Soviet government. al
ready had come into force in eight
states of that part of Europe considered
under the greatest menace of war
Yet, if peace was to be really assured
he said the nations must abandon
their reluctance to reduced ornaments
Turning again to the tripartite naval
conference. he said that even if nego-
tiations between Great Britain. France
and America should succeed he doubt
ed the agreement would be acceptable
to other powers.
Naval Differences Cited.
THE acceptance of the Soviet pro-
posal for a proportional reduction of
all armed forces and categories of arm
ainents would have removed those diff
ferences between the sea powers which
are at present blocking the work OF
the preparatory commission and OBJ
viste, perhaps, the still more acute diff
AcICIICCS SuIC " III JIlE
problems of land and air forces" the
Sovet wee commssar declared.
He assailed limitation" of arms-
ments insisting that limitation would
not lead to dimnution and would in
no way differ from attempted agree
ments made before the war like the
one-time proposal for a naval holiday
between Great Britain and Germany
Extreme precaution was being taken
today by the Swiss government to sec
that no harm befall Litvinoh while at
tending the conference here.
A large coterie of detectives was as
signed to M. Litvinoff and his Soviet
associates and remained with them al
most constantly. Fear of attempts
against them was believed to explain
extreme limitations of attendance at
the commissions sessions also
The League of Nations refused to
grant cards of admission to all who have
asked for them, but. on the contrary.
have admitted to the public benches
only wives and daughters of those par
ticipating in the convention and dele
gates to other conferences now under
way at Geneva.