Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-30
BY FRANK II. SIMONDS.

7 ONDON.-Sitting down TO write
the history Of the Paris Peace
Conference according to the VIII
IL son version, Ray Stannard Baker
divided the historic session into
five major crises. While it patiently is
too soon to write a history OF the
Naval Conference, it is at least possible
thus early to describe the five major
plumbers from which have flowed the
most considerable difficulties in London,
The first of these plumbers was that
of Macdonald. When, despite the ear
nest, rather Mortified protests of not a
few Americans, official and otherwise,
the British prime minister hastily de-
cided upon the Washington excursion
he received a private but pressing NOR
sci of advice from one Of his recent
predecessors, no less experienced con-
ference manager than Lloyd George
himself.
Advice Was Through Paris"
The advice of the Welsh wizard was
terse and pointed. In effect it was this:
''If you must go to Washington go via
Paris 1t will be easier to make terms
with Tardieu before than after you
have talked to President Hoover" What
Macdonald answered is not recorded, If,
indeed, he made any answer, but at
least it is clear that he totally rejected
the advice.
The results have been written on
every page of the story of the London
Conference. While Macdonald and
Hoover were sitting on log beside the
Rapidan smoking their pipes and ar
ranging naval programs for the five
great powers, three of which were I'M
represented there on the old Virginia
front, Tardieu was getting together the
material later published in the Decem-
Der note of the French government.
And France was slowly but surely work.
ing up to a state of mind which in
variably follows the attempt of the
Anglo-Saxon nations to deal with world
questions in total disregard of the ex-
istence of France in the world.
HOOver's Mistake" at Breakfast.
No one can exaggerate the amount
of time and energy which has been
expended since that moment on the
Rapidan, alike by British and Ameri-
can representatives, in trying to con-
vince the suspicious and incredulous
French public that the Hoover and
Macdonald episode was not a con-
spiracy to establish an Anglo-Saxon
hegemony, to deny France recognition
as great power, and to prepare a
London conference which should COM
plete the humiliation of France begun
~ lIlc washington SESSION.
The second capital mistake was of
Hoover in giving to Stimson and his
associates, as a farewell message at a
White House breakfast, the primary
duty of bringing back treaty which
should provide reduction in naval eS-
adjustments. The mistake lay in the
fact that at no time was there any
chance of reduction. AT the Rapidan
Macdonald had told the President that
the minimum figures for British cruiser
strength were 339 900 tons and SO ships,
and, further, that this estimate was
wholly conditional upon a French
policy which had already been pre-
determined in a hostile sense by the
mere fact Of the Rapidan converse
tions.
Reduction in Fact Impossible.
But since the United States had,
built and building, but 20 ships of
10000 tons, to obtain parity, which
was the basic demand of the United
States, involved the actual doubling of
+ha American cruiser tonnage and the
numoer of American ships. Thus, while
the American public responded enthusi-
astically to the Presidents word and
accepted reduction as the acid test of
success at London, Stimson and the
American delegation Jared forth upon
the Journey knowing in advance that
reduction in fact was impossible.
The third error resulted from the
second. When the first reports of actual
programs flowed back from London to
America there was an explosion OF
American sentiment expressed in the
Petition of the Twelve Hundred, asking
that Mr.. Stimson give his best efforts
to obtaining reduction. And in mo-
ment of natural embarrassment StimSon
undertook to mobilize the non existent
and obsolete tonnage of American
Navy ships that had not been begun
and ships, cruisers, destroyers and sub
marines which. by virtue of the pas
sage Of time, had become obsolete to
prove that he was carrying out the will
of the American people and the wish Of
the President.
But the fatal effect Of the Stimson
statement, promptly disproved, was to