Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-14
Disarmament Snags.

Although Secretary Stimson has re-
turned from Europe painting an en-
cotlrag ing picture OF the new spirit
prevailing in international relations, es-
pecially in the personal relations between
responsible statesmen, current events
emphasize the immense gulf that needs
to be SPAWNED before practical results
in the field of disarmament can be ex-
pected. The United States is second 10
no other country in desiring success
at the 1882 conference in Geneva. At
the present moment the full power Of
American influence Is being exerted To
the end that there shall be no post
ponement Of the meeting. The Wash
ington Government sees cumulative
danger in putting of the day when the
nations are TO confer over the great
ideal OF turning swords into plough
shares.
} Yet 1t would be rankest folly to blink
the visible barriers that stand in the
way of full or early achievements. One
has only to enumerate the various and
divergent disarmament views and plans
finding expression at this moment. A
fortnight ago M. Paul Boncour, chair
man Of the Foreign Affairs Committee
Of the French Chamber, launched his
international mortgage" project for
putting all the armed forces Of the
world under the control Of the League
Of Nations. TO be hurled like a mighty
thunderbolt against any country that
breaks the peace. A day or two later
Signor Grandi. Italian foreign minister
proposed that the military and naval
powers should cease expansion of their
armed establishments pending the out
come Of the Geneva conference. Here
IN the United States we have Senator
Borah advocating a fve-year holiday
in naval building as the most effective
remedy for world economic distress.
Mea ntime. the United States is faced
by the disconcerting fact that while we
lag behind in naval construction, our
associates in the three-power London
limitation pact of 1880 are going ahead
in the full exercise Of their treaty build
ing rights.
As If these factors were Of themselves
not sufficient to becloud the dissrma-
ment situation, there is the attitude of
Germany, forcibly expressed within the
past forty-eight hours by Foreign Min
lister Curtius. Addressing the League
of Nations Assembly at Geneva, DR..
Curtius reaffirmed the Reich's unquench-
able demand for squarer deal in dis
armament and its gnawing resentment
OF the fact that while the treaty OF
Versailles condemns her to military i'm
potence, her conquerors continue with
out restraint to pile up military and
naval machinery.
Without casting any sort of aspersion
upon her motives, the iron truth is that
France holds the key to the disarma-
ment situation and that it cannot be
efiectually relieved without her coop
Grafton To date the French remain
adamant on the proposition that they
will not reduce their defensive estab-
hshment except in exchange for Sc
curity in some other form. The form
which France necessarily proposes is
international guarantees for her safety.
As Mr. Simonds pointed out in The
Sunday Star, the France which, in the
AuStro German Anschluss affair, has
just won the most notable diplomatic
victory in postwar Europe, and the
France which all Summer long has been
debating financial terms to the Old
World, even to proud Great Britain, is
not easily to be cajoled into any dis
armament bargain that does net safe
guard French security.
1t is all very we'll for disarmament
i6ealists to banker for the millennium
Unfortunately. the world is saturated
with dificuities and differences that
will somehow have to be surmounted
before progress toward that cleaning
goal is possible. II Grover Cleveland
were alive he would discover another
set of circumstances in which men arc
confronted by conditions" and not
theories"