Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-28
BY WILLIAM BIRD.

BY Gable to The Star.
PARIS, November 28.-Premier Pierre
Lavals reticence, first before the For
eign Affairs Committees of Parliament
and finally before the Chamber of
Deputies ITSELF, as to what definite
promises were exchanged between him.
self and President Hoover at Washing
ton, has wrapped international affairs
in thick wells of mystery.
Premier Laval in his public utterances
has done nothing but repeat the vague
formulas contained in the joint state
ment issued at Washington, but hss
limited that much more might be said
except for promise that he would re-
veal nothing which might embarrass
President Hoover in dealing with Con-
gress.
Thus Europe's attention is focused
on Washington and there is much
speculation here on whether Congress
will be more successful in worming facts
out of Hoover a week hence than the
French Parliament has been in trying
W SCb I1lC 1dSOo 1AOhl Laval
HerriOt Believed Convinced.
Laval, it is believed, has taken GER
tain number of Parliament leaders into
his confidence, notably Edouard Her
riot, chief of the Radical party, which,
in the vote that terminated the debate
on foreign policy, unexpectedly re-
Trained from joining the rest of the left
in opposition. The presumption Is that
Laval succeeded In convincing Herriot
privately that substantial promises had
been obtained from Hoover relative to
future war debt payments in case Ger
many fails to resume reparations an
nuities.
Laval, indeed, made some astonish-
ingl categorical statements concerning
his future war debts and PREPARATIONS
policy He declared he would not con-
sent to any reductions in reparations
unless accompanied by a parallel re-
duction in war debts. He announced,
nonetheless. emphatically, that France
would allow no priority to be estab-
lished in favor of Germany's private
debts over reparations payments. When
reminded that the United States al
ways had refused to admit any con-
nection between war debts and repa-
lions, Laval answered bluntly such
connection exists in fact and IS eS-
tabliShed by two documents, first PreSi-
dent Hoover'S moratorium proposal of
last June /, and secondly, the joint
statement which Mr.. Hoover and my
self issued at Washington"
Loans Still On Ice.
While congressional action on the
war debts question is universally re-
garded as the most important event
of the immediate future, there is no
denying that Europe's calendar is well
loaded with thorny topics The In
ternational Banks investigation Of
Germanys paying capacity preliminary
to acting on the Young plan mora
forum request, will proceed concur
rently with private bankers confer
ences in Berlin to determine solution
of the frozen credits problem.
A billion and half dollars of short
term credits, mainly held by American
and British bankers, were put on ice
in August for six months. Doubtless the
bankers will find February, when the
six-month period expires, much too
further cold storage seems imprac-
ticable, there must be gigantic con-
version into long-term loans.
The existence of these frozen credits
not only prevents Germany from get
ting any fresh money from abroad for
the most urgent purposes, but drives
such capital as exists in German hands
to seek safe refuge in other countries.
However, conversion seems scarcely
possible unless definite arrangements
are made by Germany for amortiZa-
ton
If Laval adheres strictly TO his dec
larations made this week, in refusing
to allow the priority of private loans
and declining any reparations adjust
mentS unless paralleled by war debt
remissions, then the issue goes straight
to Congress to decide whether saving
German finance and rescuing Ameri-
can investments in the Reich is worth
the sacrifice of war debt annuities
(Convriobt 1921