Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-29
EVENTS Disturbing
PEACE HOPE TOLD
Background of Coming
Hoover-MacDonaId CONVEX
sations Recalled by Writer.
BY DREW PEARSON.

After three months OF olSpatcnlns
lengthy cablegrams between London
and Washington and of holding nego-
tiations over Anglo-American naval re-
duction, Ramsay Macdonald is now on
the high seas on a goodwill Pilgrim
age. during which naval affairs are
hardly to be discussed at all.
Instead, both President Hoover and
Mr.. Macdonald have agreed that they
will devote their time to getting better
acquainted and to clearing up all the
stumbling blocks in the path OF Anglo
American amity.
Some of the questions which I'M
doutbedly will be discussed are:
l, The economic struggle between
the two countries for the control OF
the raw materials and markets of the
world, including rubber and oil.
2. The recognition Of and relations
with Soviet Russia.
8. Prohibition and the possibility of
revamping the liquor smuggling treaty
between the two countries.
General Discussion.
The discussion, however, will be gen.
eral and will especially seek to clear
away the clouds of misunderstanding
which officials here admit began to
gather after the breakup OF the un-
fortunate Geneva conference in 1927.
During the Summer of the confer
ence the American public had found
itself much more interested In base ball
and motoring than in naval parity with
Great Britain, and to arouse 1t and get
its support American officials turned
loose a flood of frankly anti-British
propaganda Immediately anti-British
news hit the front pages and remained
there.
Anti-BritiSh resentment, once having
been turned on, could not be turned of.
and a whole series of events took place
to illustrate that fact.
Flames Are Famed.
Big Bill" Thompson famed the
flames of anti-British feeling as part
of his political campaign in Chicago.
The House naval affairs committee be-
gan consideration of 70-ship building
bill and began a drive against alleged
British inspired pacif1Sts. Another storm
OF newspaper protest followed the leak
that France and Great Britain had con-
cluded a secret naval understanding.
simultaneously with this, and OF really
more concern to official washington,
was a series of moves by both coun-
tries in the struggle to capture the trade
and markets of the world.
Great Britain had seen the United
States, once owing the world $4,000, 000,-
600. become the creditor nation OF the
world in 1927, to the tune of $25,60O,-
100000. In Britain's palmiest day as
banker of the world she had only $20,-
00,000,0 900 of foreign investments. She
also had seen American foreign trade
grow until it came within $1,000, 900 900
of equaling hers.
About this time, therefore, Great
Britain started a series of maneuverS
which came dangerously near treading
upon the sanctity of the Monroe doc
trine. Early in 1927 Britain shocked
the State Department by violating the
old Anglo-American understanding that
the caribbean was sacred to the Amer
lean Navy by sending a British cruiser
to that virtual Observation-Disclosures.
Also. during 1927, the Anglo-Persian
Oil Co., owned In large part by the Brit
iSh government, endeavored to obtain
a 59-year monopoly concession for a
vast tract of land in Colombia, parallel
to the Panama Canal. The tract con-
tanned no known oil reserves, and, since
1t extended from the Atlantic to the
Pacific and included one of the routes
formerly considered by the United
conceivable use for the tract was for
the construction of another Atlantic
Pacific route.
Vast Concessions.
There was also some suspicion direct
ed by Washington to the tremendous
grants of land obtained by Sir Alfred
Mond. former British cabinet minister,
in the Republic of Panama. The con-
cesSions were taken for the purpose of
mining gold, but, according to Ameri-
cans in the Canal Zone, little gold
exists in that region. The concessions
extend from coast to coast, and the
State Department was forced to pro-
test against any British building of
road paralleling the canal.
Meanwhile, Canada, under British en-
couragement, was moving to link up the
British possessions in the West Indies
and Caribbean into cloSe-knit COM
mercial system.
A aforementioned steamship serv.
ice was started between Canada and the
West Indies, trade between these two
regions increased by leaps and bouncs,
and there were discussions between OF.
tawa and London for Canadian control
over British Honduras.
To offset British penetration in the
Caribbean, the United States suddenly
became interested in Africa, hitherto
considered rightful spoil for Great Brit
ain. The State Department threw over
board its policy of allowing American
interests in Abyssinia to be handled py
the British Minister, and sent its own
Minister to Adds ArebaA
CCopyriRht. 49,