Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-25
FRANCE MAY BUCK
NAVAL REDUCTION
Must Increase Power as Re.
suit of The Hague Setback,
Experts Agree.
ny RALPH W. BARNES.

By Radio to The Star.
PARIS. August 24.-While ofI1cials Of
&ae Quail d'Orsay continue to insist
upon their countrys full sympathy with
the preliminary Anglo-American naval
. talks now In progress, the diplomatic
sStback which France experienced at
The Hague the past three weeks makes
It nearly certain that her representa-
tives at any future naval arms parley
will be prepared to make fewer con-
cesSiora than they otherwise would
have peen prepared to make.
Faced with the new evidence which
The Hague parley provided, that she
cannot depend too much for the sup
port she once enjoyed from Britain,
France is beginning to feel herself iso-
lated among the major powers Of Eu-
ton will bear very directly upon her
naval policy. At the same time that
she realized her inability to count
longer when in need upon the British
fleet, she sees reason for concern In
the naval competition to the northeast
and southeast.
E,r~cce Feels Anxious.
However, small In volume German
naval effort must be under the YER
sailles treaty, France feels anxious be-
cause of the construction OF the Ersatz
Preussen, a German cruiser which Is
generally believed to hold power far
beyond what her size would indicate
Secondly, France fears Italy's naval
power. It Is the thesis Of French naval
experts-and this thesis has been re-
peatedly outlined in recent editorials
in the Partisan dailies-that since
France has two definitely separated
coast lines and italy but one. France
must have greater naval ftece than
Italy or else suffer italy to become IN
fact a superior naval power. II France
concentrates her feet in the Channel,
say these experts. she leaves her Medi-
terranean interests bare to q prospec-
tive enemy. The thesis continues that
with her naval power gathered IN the
Mediterranean the nation is without
protection for her northern and western
coasts.
Adequate naval strength in the
Mediterranean Il considered Of espe-
eial importance because Of the desire
20 assume unobstructed passage for
troops and supplies from the French
North African colonies to continental
France in case OF war. The majority
Of French statesmen feel thai their
country was bested automatically at
the washington conference In being
brought to accept parity with italy in
capital ships. The fear is repeatedly
expressed here that at the next naval
conference an attempt will be made TO
get France to accept parity with her
Mediterranean neighbor likewise IN
the matter of auxiliary craft.
Submarine an Issue.
It Is exceedingly unlikely that such
a move would succeed. In any case
a new five-power naval parley, II such
is called, is likely to develop contro-
yersy between France and Italy In
many respects not unlike that which
enbroiled the United States and Brit
ain at Geneva in 1927. The submarine
viii undoubtedly play q big part IN any
such controversy. for it is In this cate
CORY that the keenest Franco-Italian
competition can be found. Any new
attempt by either Britain or the United
States-each has made an attempt in
the past-to have all the submarines
abolished will most certainly be met by
determined opposition on the part OF
both France and Italy who will main
tain the thesis that this weapon Is the
principal support Of the minor naval
powers The conclusion to be drawn
from all this is that there is about as
much preliminary work to be done
harmonizing the French and Italian
views as there Is to be done in harmo-
nizing American and British views and
that the sooner washington and Lon
don stimulate Paris and Rome to begin
talking about further naval arms limi-
tation, the better for the success OF the
Forthcoming general naval conference.
Copyright. 1920