Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-19

Continued From First Page.)
OF their balance, on the verge of a
colossal defeat; decisive decision In
the war was imminent. Tactics failed
south Of Arras. And the relative posi-
tons Of the armies remained un-
changed.
Ludendorf picked the first day Of
Spring in 1918 to settle the future of
the world for q few generations at least
He hit the ends: he drove at the CEN
ter; and he was close to Amiens and
its cathedral with its famous rose COL
ored glass windows. A few more at
broken and the way to the coast would
have been cleared-but two great
armies-the French and the British,
with Americans in both-retired, re-
formed, retired, reformed and at long
last Ludendork asked for time out.
Right there the result of the war was
hanging in the balance. Had tactics
succeeded the war would most certainly
have been prolonged beyond November
IL. 1918
No scientist, no militarist, whatever
his rank or prestige, can estimate ex-
actly just how much-how many divi-
sions, how many guns-were needed to
turn failure into success. All that the
greatest expert can say now-after
years of objective. dispassionate study
is that few more pounds of pressure
were all that were needed to turn an
indecisive enga cement into a first-rate
engagement.
Much Written on JutIand.
Turn to the sea and the story reads
the same way. Many books have been
written on the battle of Jutland Jelli-
Goes orders and Beatty's initiative have
furnished topics for countless columns
in books, magazines and newspapers. A
whole school has grown up in favor of
Winston Churchill's military strategy
and another school has stood in the way
OF his political progress because 1t OPP
posed his military views. David Llyod
George won q long series OF parliament
tary battles by narrow margins and
then finally met his Waterloo on a nom
essential matter of the smallest i'm
portance to the future OF the British
Empire
Emphasis has been placed on minor
details because 1t is quite possible the
London conference will complete its
negotiations successfully for the sole
reason that much attention has been
given to the small things calculated to
plague the delegates. We had confer
ences before the Great War; we have
had dozens Of them since the signing
taken a heavy toll on the prominent
figures who sat in the Supreme Council,
in the Council of Ambassadors, in the
other gatherings of the statesmen. We
have had stories of the effect on inter-
national relations of the so-called golf
game between M. BRAND and Mr.. Lloyd
George. Lord Balfour was once an &C
tive, II not enthusiastic, member of the
Council OF the League Of Nations.
II one doubts whether there has been
any change in personalities and meth
DDS all one need do is to turn back 10
the files covering the Genoa conference
Of 1922-a conference called to settle
affairs on a sound. economic basis. To-
day one must search carefully through
the columns of the press to find the
names of the distinguished statesmen
who figured so prominently there
Lloyd George, Lord Birkenhead, M
Tchitcherin of Russia. Premier Facta
of Italy and Louis Barthou, French min
lister of justice. Here was a conference
which lasted for weeks and ended where
1t started, or worse than that, 1t sci
back the reconstruction Of Europe be-
cause it brought out in no uncertain
way that the parties to 1t were al
complete divergence on all points o.
major importance.
Events Narrow Viewpoints.
Now we have another conference
Simple as its problems may seem 1t Il
highly complicated. Nationalism ha:
grown stronger rather than less i'm
portant since the Great War Nations
governments and peoples have SUFFERED
from disillusionment, Encouragement
depression and all the other thing
which make peoples settle down to thu
hard battle of self-preservation. Oul
viewpoints have been narrowed b!
events. In the very order Of events thi
conference should meet in an atmos
phere of positive realism. But sittini
in this conference will be new figure
in international negotiations.
The hosts will be Premier Macdonald
and Arthur (Uncle Arthur Henderson
SECRETARY Of State for foreign affairs
The Japanese delegation is headed b
Premier Yuko Hamaguchi assisted b