Evening star., 1929-12-01
tUROPEPUzzLED
OVER u. S. POLICY
Remains in Doubt Concerning
Intended Role in Maintain.
ing World Peace.
BY HAROLD E. SCARBOROUGH.

ey Radio to The Star.
LONDON, November Solver since
1919 Europe has been discussing with
considerable interest the question of
whether the United States intended to
play an isolated or a cooperating role
in the maintenance of world peace. It
Is merely recording fact to note that
at the end of this decade Europe still
Is as much in the dark regarding the
answer to its question as it was 10
years ago. This being the case, one
sometimes is tempted to wonder whether
the question, in the terms in which Eu-
rope asks it; is not unanswerable; for
European and American definitions of
such words as isolation" and cooper
alton" would scarcely agree. This last
doubt is beginning to find its way into
the British press, in which this week
there has been considerable editorial
comment upon the various aspects of
American foreign policy.
Makes Sarcastic Comment on Pact.
Almost without exception in recent
years in Europe it has been the fash
ion to assume that American cooper
alton with other countries could be ex-
pressed only in terms of formal, writ
ten instruments, containing penalty
clauses for non-obServance as though
they were commercial agreements
h1OIHuIk
instance, commenting upon the Russo
Chinese irnbroglio, called sarcastic at
tention to the kellogg pact's lack Of
teeth, indicating 1t was, in fact, COM
pletely statuteleSS. Unexpectedly strong
support for the opposite view came on
Thursday from the London Times. This
conservative organ thereby found itself
for once in agreement with the Liberal
press in the opinion that the Chinese
m "a
shows true appreciation Of what it is
for which the pact stands The Times
went on to explain that the pact ''re-
spends undoubtedly to the state OF
mind reached by certain more advanced
nations. but is like a thermometer
which, dipped into the international at
mosphere in different parts of the globe,
will give widely different readings"
The newspaper further attempts to
point out how little reliance-in view
of the past records of the countries now
disputing-the other pact s'gnatorieS
could place upon the assurances either
of China or of Russia to submit to
arbitration; and goes so far as to claim
that the mere prospect OF intervention
by the pact s'gnatorieS has had salu-
tary moral effect in inducing China to
reach the settlement she has apparently
concluded with Russia.
Equal appreciation of what it con-
ceives to be the aspirations of American
diplomacy, but apropos of another is
sue. is shown by the Manchester
Guardian in replying to the critics Of
President Hoover's food ship proposal.
att is all very WELL" the Guardian says
In effect, ito object that the the United
States is not distinguishing beween ag-
gressors and the attacked; or that IL
would Tob the League of Nations Of its
blockade weapon. But does any Ole
seriously believe that the American peo-
pie will want to aid fagrantly ag-
gress!ve nation boycott in the face Of
American oppoSition?' The Guardian
thereupon argues that the League woulo
actually be strengthened by the adop-
ton of President Hoover's proposal,
since American cooperation against an
aggressor nation would almost certainly
'prove more efficacious than a hall
hearted blockade" The appearance OF
such articles in such powerful news
papers as these seems to indicate tac
growing appreciation Of the fact that
specific American action in any par
ticular case will have to depend on
Americas reaction to the rights ana
wrongs of that case, and cannot be
predicted beforehand as certain to fol-
low the decision of majority OF other
nations Complete acceptance OF this
idea would do much to smooth the pain
Of Americas foreign diplomacy.
tCopyright, 1922