Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-14
ST|MSON DEFENDS
PARITY PROVISION
Driving Attack, Led by John
son, Is Launched in
Questioning.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Secretary of State Stimson today de-
Tended against senatorial attack the
Observation-Disclosures naval treaty
signed at London.
Secretary Stimson, under a driving
succession of questions by Senator john
son of California, told the foreign rela-
lions committee thai the nebulous
American proposal for a new battleship
merely was trading point" at Lon
don; that the cruiser settlement was
the best obtainable, and that no off,
cial records of most of the negotiations
were kept because none was necessary.
He emphasized the difficulties facing
the London Conference and insisted
the United States got all that was hui
manly possible out of the negotiations.
"You cans blame the delegation for
not handing you parity right hot OH
the griddle," said Stimson, when We
started with only two cruisers. All we
could do was lay the framework for
future equality.
Concluding three days before the for
Stjmson agreed with hostile questioners
that parity in British-American cruiser
strength would not be reached until
after 1886, but argued that nothing bet
ter could be expected.
Admiral william v. Pratt, commander
Of the Battle Fleet, followed Stimsop
with declaration that the treaty was
very satisfactory" and that, although
he was on record as favoring eight
inch gun cruisers, he would rather have
the variety of big and little guns pro-
vided by the new agreement.
He described the six-inch as prefer
able in bad visibility and added that
you don't have good visibility in the
Pacific"
Treaty Satisfies Pratt.
cts this treaty satisfactory to you?"
asked Chairman Borah.
Eyes sir; 1t suits me and when I say
that I know if we had any fighting
now I would have to do it,
Borah asked Pratt if he had changed
his mind on the eight-inch and six
inch cruisers.
'I have. I have a very definite rea-
son which has just come up why ]
prefer a six-inch, but I would like to tell
you that in private" said the admiral.
johnson Starts Questioning.
Senator johnson, Republican, of Cali
fornia, started the questioning. He
asked if Mr. Stimson thought this coun-
tyr should build up to its full strength
under the treaty
THAT is a question for the Budget
Bureau" said the Secretary.
Senator johnson remarked he had
heard that the British battleships Rod
ney and Nelson alone could wipe out
the whole American fleet"
1T have heard that, but not from
American sources" replied Mr.. Stimson.
There was unanimity among our naval
experts that the American Battle Fleet
was equal to the British under the
treaty"
did you propose the construction of
an additional battleship?"
Mr.. Stimson replied: There were
two ways of making our fleet at least
the equal of the British fleet. One was
to modernize our vessels and the Sec
ond, more drastic and more expensive,
was to build an additional vessel like
the Rodney or the Nelson.
1T was matter IF negotiation AS
a result, we had no difficulty in getting
consent for the first method"
Stimson Explains Cruisers.
eff we went ahead and built the
cruisers that we could build, we
wouldn't reach the total of 16 cruisers
(Continued on Page Q. Column AZ