Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-26
ENGLAND IS READY
FOR SECURITY PACT
U. S. sanctioning Of Consul.
tative Agreement Opens
Way for Treaty.
continued From First page.l

(Continued From First Page.l
United States to cut to perhaps 1,ooo,-
xristide BRAND, French foreign Min
lister. returns to London tonight, after
which it is expected the new Amer
lean plan will be pressed rapidly.
No Military Pledge by United States.
% should be clearly understood that
no delegation here has in mind ASKING
the United States to make anything In
the faintest way resembling military
commitment. What is proposed is pure
~ consultative pact modelled pronapiy
on the Horsepower Pacific pact. which
would not even impose moral HlilVaty
obligation.
IN short, the United States should
merely bind itself formally to consult
in certain contingencies with other m
terested powers which is what, under
the BRAND kellogg pact, America IN
tends to do anyway.
1t is not because of this proposed con-
sultative pact that France would reduce
its navy. There would be no direct
relation between an American promise
to consult and Frances reductions. But
the prornise to consult is an essential
part of the scheme because so long as
the United States refuses even to con-
suit, the British feel unable to make
Mediterranean pact.
It is in return for real security pact
in the Mediterranean that France would
make real reductions. The erect rela-
tionship is a Franco-BritiSh relation
ship, and in no way involves the United
States.
France Wants Security.
The United States does not intend to
propose a consultative pact. This pro-
posal must come from some other quar-
ter, but America is ready to consider one
favorably.
In any case, there can be no question
either of our making consultative pact
or of the British making Mediterra-
mean pact, for the present, unless France
makes clear in some way that. it then
will consent to real reductions. II, as Is
expected, the British cabinets decision
today is favorable to this general thesis,
then the next stage VIII be squarely up
to France.
Some weeks ago, France handed
Great Britain privately the draft OF a
Mediterranean treaty based on the idea
Of mutual assistance and guaranty.
British Pinned Stand on U. S.
There was no question Of the United
States signing this Mediterranean pact.
Great BritainS point of view, however,
was that unless the United States IN
another pact was willing at least to.
consult, Great Britain would be unable
to accept the French draft. !
The British, therefore, ascertaired.
that we were not interested for the.
moment in a consultative pact and then
they made a proposal to the
French for a Mediterranean pact so
vague that the French Immediately
rejected it.
Today's indications are that Japan
may be somewhat more conclllatory IN
a fve-power treaty with real reductions
than she would have been in possible
'three-power treaty with no real reouc-
tons.
Italy Is Surprised.
AS for italy. 1t appears somewhat
surprised by the new turn the confer
ence has taken. On March 20, the
newspaper La Tribuna of Rome, sup
nosedlv officially inspired. announced
the end of the Franco-B British entente
and suggested that an Anglo taliah
entente with a definite treaty OF col
Alteration between Rome and London
should soon follow.
Foreign Minister Dino Grandi in
London has signifled that Italy would
be glad to see Great Britain, the United
states and Japan make three-power
treaty and adjournment of the Ave.
power conference for six months to
enable France and Italy to settle their
differences. He seems not to have
realized at that moment that the
United States and Great Britain were
, even then doing their utmost to save
' the fve-power treaty prospects by re-
newing pact discussions.
OPTIMISM SWEEPS PARIS.