Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-09
BY FRANK H. sIMONDs.

r ONDON.-What has been wrong
with the London Conference?
This question, increasingly asked
IL all over the world, does not easily
find a single answer. Neverthe-
less, there has been one thing wrong
from the outset which has increasingly
served to bring about trouble. The
great weakness of the Conference lay
in the fact that it was not preceded by
any political preparation or even by
that period of political investigation
which might have forewarned those
responsible for the calling of rocks
ahead.
There was, to be sure, political
preparation in so far as the United
States and Britain were concerned
Conversations between Macdonald and
Dawes, the visit of the British prime
minister to America, his talks with
Hoover beside the banks of the Rapidan,
all these things contributed to clear
away the debris of Anglo American
misunderstanding which had been born
of the Washington Conference. 1t was
perfectly clear when these conferences
had taken place and the press and
public opinion of the two English-speak-
ing countries had spoken, that the way
was clear for the American and British
representatives to sit about table and
settle the problem of parity which had
bedeviled relations between the two
nations for almost q decade.
But was this Anglo-American under
standing an adequate political basis for
a five-power naval conference? What
were the views and conditions of
France, Japan and Italy alike toward
an Anglo-American entente and toward
each other? Here, after all. was the
rub, for it was always clear In any event
that, while these nations could be
brought to water, they could not be
compelled to drink. And long before
the conference was called it was clear
that France was hostile to the whole
idea of conference, totally unprepared
to adjust its own conception, its own
needs, to conform to Anglo-American
standards established by the briefly
famous and now forgotten yardstick.
Italy Had Parity to Gain.
AS to Italy, it was not less clear that
the Italian government and people were
determined to turn any international
conference into an opportunity to eS-
tablish for Italy equality with France IN
all categories, as had been established
in capital ships at Washington. But
France was Just as resolved never to
permit Italy to obtain this boon at any
conference at which France was preent.
As to Japan, she was just as resolved
70 exploit the new Naval Conference to
enhance her own security in the Pacific
and her prestige in the world by claim
ing larger ratio in auxiliary craft than
was allowed by her colleagues and vol
unfairly accepted by herself at Wash
ington. But it was just as clear that
American, British and Dominion opin-
ion was solidly against any such Japa-
nese expansion.
These were the political difficulties
which faced Macdonald when he had
returned from Washington and had to
decide for or against the London Con-
ference. He had to ask himself If the
French, italian and Japanese positions
were real, If each of the three peoples
meant what they said, and if they did,
how 1t would ever be possible to bring
about reconciliation between these mu-
tually exclusive policies.
Macdonald Took Chance.
But 1t was in the face of these diff
eulties that Macdonald deliberately
called the conference, gambling on the
chance that In some inconceivable
fashion France, Italy and Japan would
modify their national programs-which
were supported by their peoples as
heartily as the British and American
programs were supported by their re-
spective mai orities-would bow to his
poHtical neeQ OF foreign success 70
fortify his home political front.
But even in advance there were warn
tngs. The French note of December
said very clearly that France would hold
to the French view and disclosed the
additional fact that French opinion was
bitterly aggrieved because Macdonald
and Hoover had seemed to ignore France,
while they made up their own program
at the Rapidan. AS for the japanese,
both at Washington and at London.
their delegation formally demanded a
20 per cent ratio. Finally, Italy stood
where she had always stood.
DeadlOcks Certain.
The conference met, then. In the face
Of certain deadlock. Nothing had been
done to remove those obstacles which, 1t
was obvious, had to be removed before
agreement could emerge. But mean
time every public had been consolidated
behind the national policy Of its own
government. and press, political and
public opinion had been worked up to
q point which made concession abroad
well nigh fatal at home for the politl-