Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-13
BY WILLIAM HARD.

The visit of James Ramsay Macdon-
aid continues to dominate the main
| thought of Washington. The incidents
Of that visit have gone by, but its ul-
innate meaning keeps on fascinating
every mind in the Capital City. Four
main positive theories about them are
announced and defended and attacked
and ridiculed.
Theory /. Mr.. Hoover and Mr. Mac
donald have established an alliance"
between Great Britain and the United
States whereby they will act as a COM
bined and irresistible unit in world af-
fairs for the maintenance of peace.
Theory 2. Mr.. Hoover and Mr.. Mac
donald have settled the problem Of
"the freedom of the seas" and have
reached an agreement upon it whereby
the United states will surrender some
part Of its ancient traditional concep-
ton of "the freedom of the seas" in
war time whenever the war in question
has originated from manifest viola
| ton of the Kellogg BRAND peace pact.
Theory 3. Mr.. Hoover and Mr. Mac
/ donald have reached an understand
ing whereby the Geets of both coun-
tries would be hurled against any vio-
lator Of the Kellogg BRAND peace pact.
Theory 4. Mr.. Hoover and Mr.. Mac
donald have decided to refer the final
problem of disarmament to the League
OF Nations and thus the United States
has recognized the supreme Jurisdiction
of the League Of Nations authorities.
1t is not too much 10 say that every
! one of these theories Is Q parAlyzing
surprise and shock to the chief high
officials of the United States Govern
ment. It is also not too much to say
that this sensation of shock Is most
particularly experienced by President
Hoover himself.
AS for an alliance" Mr.. Hoover was
under the pleasant impression that he
had carefully and successfully guarded
| himself against all such nisconstruc-
tons by inserting into iiis joint state
ment with Mr.. Macdonald saving and
generating set of words, to the effect
that the United States will never con-
sent to become entangled in European
Diplomacy" He supposed that those
words would declare and prove his in
nocence and his rectitude and his faith
fulness to the admonitions of George
Washington and Of Thomas Jefferson
against alliances" He seems to have
underestimate the ingenuity Of his in
terpreters on both sides Of the Atlantic.
1t may, therefore, perhaps properly
here be stated, out Of long observation
OF Herbert Hoover and out of almost
innumerable conversations with his old
est and closest friends and associates,
that probably no President we have
ever had has been more incurably in
disposed toward alliances" than Mr..
Hoover. On one occasion, before he be-
came President, he expressed the heart
OF his prospective foreign policy in a
sentence which has become current In
many parts OF Washington and which
now Is aptly in point. He said that our
foreign policy should be marked by the
! following rules:
words of political commitment to no
country; acts of positive friendship to-
ward all"
The theory, then, that the President
has attempted to initiate an alliance"
with Mr.. Macdonald's government can
be wholly dismissed.
| %** -
A similar dismissal must be given to
the theory that he has in any way
abated or minimized the ancient de.
mands OF the United States In reference
to trade upon the high seas in time of
war. The truth is, as this writer well
knows from several secure British
sources, that the suggestions made by
the President on the point of the free
dom OF the seas" went so far toward
expanding and increasing that free
dom" that Mr.. Macdonald, In view of
the commitments of Great Britain to
the League Of Nations and to participa-
ton In blockades authorized and or
dered by the League of Nations, was
unable to accept them and was UNI
willing even to have them mentioned
in the joint statement which he and
MIR. Hoover together issued.
1t can be absolutely safely stated that
Mr.. Hoover has not surrendered one lot
nor little OF ancient American claimed
sea rights in the face of any war de-
clared in violation of the Kellogg Bril-
and peace pact or In the face Of any
onther eventuality.
AS for combining the British and
American fleets In chastisement of Q
v.olstor of the Kellogg BRAND peace
pact, the President abundantly realizes
that the power to declare war and tc
put our feet into action rests not with
him, but with Congress. He made nc
! effort in his conversations with Mr.
Macdonald to usurp the powers of the
: Congress. This writer knows of q GER
: tainty that the United States stands
1 now just 40 uncommitted In Its policy
!. toward violator Of the Kellogg Briane