Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-05
BY FRANK II. SIMONDS.

TT is now plain that President
Roover's proposal for delay of
reparation payments, made to avert
i a German collapse, has put the
initiative into his hands in Euro
bean affairs. It will be for him to bring
about an adjustment of French and
German views, which are radically d.
yergent. He can, for example, urge
upon the Germans the modification OF
their naval and treaty programs. On
the other hand he can similarly appeal
to the French to consent to larger sac
Eiflces.
The Endorsement by Congress Of the
Presidents conditional offer Will per-
NIT a practical suspension in some
thing like tWo-thirdS of the German
Preparations payments during the cur
rent year. This will result from the
consent Of our debtors, who are also
the creditors of Germany. to let Ger
many off III proportion as they are re-
leased by US.
Balance Up to French.
As to the remaining third, the de-
ktsion rests primarily with the French
they receive $l0O000,O00 more than
Yhev paw us, but that sum, as 1t stands
n already earmarked to meet a portion
of the interest charge Upon the sums
expended by them to reconstruct their
devastated area. They would then, in
to carry this burden themselves. where
as. for the British and Italians the
whole process would be one OF BOOK
keeping. .,..
Actually, then, while Mr. Hoover
proposal envisages sacrifice OF some
thing more than $200,000,0 900 Tor our
selves, it places, by implication at leaSt
the burden of a similar sacrlnce on t!ie
French amounting to not quite as mucn.
Should the French refuse TO agree to
this sacrifice, then the relief TO Ger
many would be cut in rouno i ngo -
from slightly more than $4oo'ooo'ooo "
about $300,000,0o.
Germany Can Help.
II Germany would agree to stop mel
s.nocket battleship" construction anc
abandon her political projects, 1t Woulo
be possible for France to save enough
in military expenditure to cover nc
small part Of her sacrifice IN [epara-
tions payments, FL. From mo,, Inc be ALMOST
as great a gain for European recon-
stuIction as the American gesture
The trouble with the President
effort tn deal with this situation Is that
the responsible governments OF France
and Germany find themselves In the
presence of a public sentiment when
makes any modification of policy din
cult. Under pressure from the Ma
tionalistic right, the Bruen1ng capmeG
was compelled during the last polltical
campaign to make public declaration
In favor of treaty revision, ana tne
sentiment of the whole country, WITH
out regard to party. is SO strong on
this point that any concession 10
France might bring down the govern
ment itself.
French Opinion Firm.
On the other hand, public opinion in
France is so fixed in the conv1ctlon
that the sole means of insuring peace
in Europe is to preserve the status quo
of the treaties, and so suspicious OF
any German government that, short OF
some definite commitment on the
treaty question by the present German
cabinet countersigned by the Reichstag,
1t would be impossible for the Laval
cabinet or any other to make conces-
sions in the reparationS line.
The truth Is that the French are not
very enthusiastic over the salvaglng
of Germany even at American expense,
precisely as long as there Is in their
minds something like certainty that
once Germany has been economically
rescued she will become politically
menacing to France. The French see
in the present American proposal no
more than the attempt Of a nation
which holds an enormous amount OF
German paper to avoid tremendous
loss by getting the creditor on its feet.