Evening star., 1929-12-14
Former Suspects Maneuver
Is Under Way to Isolate
1t at London ParIey.
NEGOTIATORS BARELY
TRY TO COVER SCHISM
Mediterranean Locarno Treaty
Seen as Only Means Out of
Present Situation.
BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.
BY Gable to The Star and Chicago Daily
News. Copyright, 1929.


PARIS, December 14.-Franco-Ital-
ian naval negotiations, upon which the
success of the London conference will
eventually depend, are momentarily
deadlocked.
There is a crisis which the guarded
words of the private negotiators barely
try to cover. France suspects that
great diplomatic maneuver has been
begun for the purpose of 1solatlng 1t at
the London conference and forcing from
it what it unwillingly could concede
France will stubbornly resist such
pressure and, in adhering to this atti-
tude, WILL it appears, be solldly support
ed by French public opinion. Great
Britain, scenting danger, has begun to
speak soothing words to her former
ally.
Foreign Minister Henderson's speech
Thursday was dripping with honey.
Thus the Labor government, which
broke with France and adopted cool
attitude toward Fascist Italy on its as
sumption of power, now is flirting with
Italy and ogling La France, playing one
against the other, in the hope of saving,
in some manner, the approaching naval
conference.
United States Is Interested.
The United States also is deeply in
terested in the situation, for three
power agreement at London would lame
the peace efforts of the conclave and
make it quite an unstable affair. Only
a five-power agreement can actually In
sure the limitation of naval armaments.
Furthermore, there is a growing dis
position toward the belief that the only
way out of the Franco-Italian deadlock
is by means of a Mediterranean Lo-
carno treaty." the proposal for which
was first revealed in these dispatches.
It was Great Britain which first sounded
France and italy on this subject.
Italy dislikes anything which tends
to maintain the status quo, and France,
too, is cool toward BritainS tentative
offer of guarantee. But French opin-
ion is changing. The only thing which
would swerve France from its present
firm naval determinations which mean
an answering position as to full sub
marine strength-would be the offer
of a guarantee in the Mediterranean by
Great Britain and the United States.
But would the United States be will
ing to make anything like such a guar
antee? This is doubted on many sides.
In any case, the new Ambassador
from the United States to France, for
mer Senator Walter E. Edge, who has
lust arrived in Paris, came just in time,
for, in a way, the naval conference has
already begun, and Paris, at this time,
is in strategic position.
After Advantages.
A look into the background of the
Franco-Italian situation will help to
clarity it. For two years, without sue
cess, France and Italy have been try
ing to conclude "a friendly treaty.
Italy openly challenges Frances posi-
ton in the Mediterranean, and she
seems determined to Wrest from France
by some means or other. concrete ad-
vantages before she will admit any
thing like friendship.
However, as far as diplomacy is con-
cerned, Premier Mussolini's motto Is
Nothing for nothing"
Upon the advent of the British Labor
government, which was hostile tC
FaScism, Italy suddenly became friendly
to France. The two countries stood to-
| gether at The Hague conference, anc
France had hopes of settling the Ital-
ian question altogether in the neal
| future.
Then on October Is Italy, at Britain's
| suggestion, proposed to France dual
| naval negotiations. On October 18
France replied that its plans were moi
yet formulated, but that it would like
to hear Italy's views on the matter
On october % the BRAND government
! fell in France, and it was only on No
| vember 20 that Count Manzoni stated
! personally to BRAND Italy's viewpoint
| In the meantime there was a change
| in the Italian viewpoint. The original
Italian view was similar to that OF
| France. 1t favored the linking of naval
yxifh not of 1af 4.
ment, and reducing arms by global tor
| mage instead of categorieS, and was also
| opposed to the abolition of submarines
Then Britain apparently got busy
! A quiet Anglo-Italian rapprochement
was effected, so that, when, the other
day, Count Manzoni talked with For
eign Minister BRAND, he said little
about points of agreement with France
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