Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-28
FRANCOlTAL|AN
BREAK IS SETBACK
New Naval Difficulties Will
Hinder Effort at
Rapprochement.
BY Radio to The Star.

BY Radio to The Star.
ROME, September Pit goes with
out saying that the complete break
down early this week in the Franco
Italian naval conversations at Geneva
comes as a severe setback to the recent
efforts at rapprochement between
Paris and Rome. To say that the
Geneva conversations accomplished
nothing is not enough. 1t must be
added that there has been retrogres-
sion. From the Italian viewpoint at
least, the divergence between the two
countries on naval disarmament is now
more acute than 1t was at the end of
the London parley.
Break Was Abrupt
The break at Geneva was abrupt
and definite and 1t came within few
hours after the French experts had pre-
sented a new program of arms limitation
in response to the project submitted by
italian experts at the beginning of the
month. The latest French proposals are
considered here to be less satisfactory
than the projects to which the French
delegation at London appeared willing
to adhere. It Is sufficient to say that
the italian experts in the Swiss city
found the French plan so unacceptable
that they declined to take it under
consideration. The conversations
ceased at that point.
There Is evident a tendency in some
quarters to minimize the importance of
the Geneva break on the ground that
only the technical experts and not ac-
credited representatives empowered to
conclude an agreement were involved
1t is. true that this fact may serve to
lessen the unfavorable effect of the
break on public opinion, but 1t cannot
in the least serve to lessen the diver
gence Of the viewpoint betweeA the
two governments, which is now revealed
| to be greater than the earlier develop
ments had seemed to indicate.
Postponement Proposed.
The conversations this month, first
at Paris and later at Geneva, resulted
from the decision at the London parley
last April that France and Italy should
| continue their efforts to reach arms
limitation accord. Speaking in the
Chamber on May 8, Grandi expressed
this governments willingness to resume
the talks at any time, and few days
| later Grandi and BRAND exchanged
views at Geneva in the presence of
| Arthur Henderson. The brief converse
| tons were virtually without result.
Early in the following month Grandi
announced his government had pro-
posed to France a postponement of the
French and Italian naval construction
programs for 1880 pending the results
of further negotiations on naval prob
lens.
| In the middle Of July BRAND indi-
Gated the decision of his government to
| lay down no further units until Decem-
| Der, and the Italian government agreed
on a similar course with respect to its
/ own navy. Dumesnil Immediately after
| cast some doubt on the practical effect
of the French decision by the statement
that the French government already
| had the 1880 program under way. Dip
lomatic exchanges continued, and these
! resulted in a decision for the meeting
Of the experts of the two countries In
Paris at the end Of August
Liquidation More Difficult.
! Rosso headed the italian group and
Massigle the French. Italian limitation
| project submitted in the course OF these
Paris conversation is stated here to have
! involved important concessions on the
! part of Italy This plan served as the
basis for discussion during the re-
mainder of the conversations in Paris
| and continued so after the experts
| moved to Geneva at the beginning OF
| the present League sessions
/ The French response finally came al
/ the end Of last week in the form of the
/ counter proposals already referred to-
/ It should always be kept in mind that
/ the naval problem is only one of those
/ troubling Franco-Italian relations. Italy
has territorial claims against France in
Southern Libya, and insists upon Ger
tain assurances relative to the status
of the Italians resident there, which il
under French sovereignty In addition
the two countries are rivals in the Bal
kans. Each of these problems reacts
on all others. Certainly new difficulties
with regard to the naval question make
liquidation of the other points at issue
between Paris and Rome just that much
more difficult.
| (Copyright, i930)