Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-13
ORGANIZED PEACE
IS AIM OF FRANCE
But Fear Is Felt Drastic
Arms Reduction May Be
Impossible.
ny PAUL SCOTT MowRER.

Including naturally, Germany. HOW
ever. without the organization III az
vance of some system OF mutual alu'
France fears that anything like draS-
tic reduction in ornaments at the
Forthcoming conference Will be louIlo
difficult if not impossible. :, a..
The foregoing, in nutshell, Is VIZ
+uallv Frances whole position on dis
armament, regarding Wnlch All Ihe
chancellories OF the world are tooay So
curious. The French view, Wnlcn, II
generally believed, will play such an
inportant role in the conference. was
explained to me authoritatlvely by
well-known parsonage here. =.
I'VE fully expect the conference 10
be opened at Geneva February z, Salo
INV informant, and we ale making our
plans in consequence. The presenI Sit
uation in Europe and in the worlo uil-
fortunately is far from reassurmg Inc
reeuIts ot the conference will be cor
respondingly serious for the preseIVa-
ton of world peace.
Must Strive for Maximum.
"The problem mas been fully raised
and must be solved. Concrete results
must be achieved. perhaps tlese +,ey
suits will be incomplete, perhaps Ihey
will be merely the first step. but we
must try theoretically for the maxi
How does France regard the prob
lem?" l asked.
THE real problem is the organization
of peace, of which disarmament Is only
one aspect. AS long as natlohS con
tinue to feel insecure, no amount OF
Girerrament. can remove the danger OF
var Once security is established, the
nrobabilities are that nations VIII we
with one another, not to increase, puI
to reduce ornaments and, in the m
terpSts of international oroer, Will nav
TO be restrained from reductlon, SO CllaI
each shall bear falr snare VI Iiie Uo'-A
mon police duty. .-.s
TN Tho United States" l remarked,
"r,anv persons believe that dlSarma-
ment will of itself bring security, espe-
cially when taken in connection Win
We rious treaties like the covenant OF
the League of Nations and the Kellogg
pact" LILLIAN. .. for
"These treaties are excellent as lar
as they go. In particular, we attacn
GREAT Importance to the treaty called
the general act Of arbitration, which SO
TAR France and Great Britain are the
only great powers to have signed ana
under which all disputes whatsoever are
tn be submitted to international arol-
tration. This act practically solves CI5
Vexed question of determining the ag-
gressor, for it indicates that the az
tration or refuses to accept an afolIlai
decision and breaking its solemn en-
papements resorts to arms against an
other state.
Obliged TO Disarm.
However, as long as nothing inter-
nationally is agreed on to insure
n~omnt and efficac!ous international aid
. n the nation which may be Vlctlm
of aggression, peoples will feel mSe-
cure and will be re!uctant greatly 10
diminish their armamen$. DlSaliha
ment without security can C1ly lead 10
clandestine armament in certain coun-
tries and to new race 10 SUBSTITUTE
for quantity of armament ingenious m
creases in the quality OF armament.
Don't the peace treaties which DIS
armed Germany oblige the other sig
natories also to disarm?'
YES. but taking into account the Spe-
cial conditions of each and only TO lne
point that each considers compaUloie
with its present degree Of natlonai Sc
curity and its obligations to participate
in any possible common lnternatloiiai
action. N
This does not mean either that all
must disarm to the German level or
that Germany has the slightest claim
to rearm to the level of the others.
Gerrnanys disarmament under the
treaty is unconditional.
But will not the limitation OF arma-
ments in these conditions serve mercy
TO perpetuate the status quo, Wnicn
Germany refuses to accept and which
many people think unjust?
whether the treaties are just OF I'M
inst is a question which each must de-
eide for himself. france believes that
the treaties, though perhaps not per
feet. are far more just than tne pre-
IL
war situation. We think, moreover Ctloo
they have not yet been given Ian
test onu cose If is certain that no
treaties are eternal. The organization
Of mutual aid does not mean that the
treaties NAV never be revised. 1t means
onIv that they cannot be revised oy
other than peaceful means. Mean
while. until they are revised, they are
the law of nations.
Mutual Aid Necessary.
moreover, until the organlzatlon oI
mutual aid makes 1t certain thaI no
attempt will be made to revise tns
treaties by force the nations winch pc
lieve in and are defending the treatles
will inevitably fear that they are oelng
asked to disarm mainly lot the pun pose
Of forcing revision by the threat of war.
sTbe aim of the conference is to organize
neace. not to upset the existing order
for the benefit of certain dissatlshed
what do you consider the best meth
cd of disarmament"
TT would be something If each coun-
try would agree not to exceed It's pres
emit strength, But we must try Tor
more. None of the popular schemes,
such as all-around percentage reduc-
ton, or comparison of ar raments IN
different years, or establishment OF
fixed ratios, or al-around parity. IS
fair or practicable as long as there
IS no mutual aid Once mutual aid Is
organized, all ornaments can lmmedl-
etely be cut to the minimum compatible
with the preservation OF internal ana
external order.
"The idea that after the League OF
Nations covenant and the Kellogg pact
there can ever again be such a thing as
neutrality is out of date. Morality law
and national interest all oppose it.
eff any state com nitS the CRIME OF
an aggressive war, it is the duty and
interest of the others to combine against
it. Why not frankly recognize this?
The only true parity henceforth. in
Germany's just phrase, is parity CT
security'-the right Of each to receive
help from all against aggression, each
aiding in proportion to its strength ana
special situation and geographical posi-
ton"
But if any state is liable to break
the Kellogg pact. is it not equally liable
to break the mutual aid treaty?"
"One state by breaking the pact can
cause aggression. 1t is extremely i'm
probable that majority of the states
simultaneously would break the mutual
aid pact"
"Then what you really propose to
organize is a war-general war"
"No-peace. Unfortunately for some
people, the fear of the police is the be-
ginning of wisdom. But what state will