Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-12
ST|MSON HAS TASK
FOR NAVAL ACCORD
Mission Is Held to Iron Out
French and italian Split
Before Conference.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Rome and his impending arrival in
Paris synchronize with American ac-
ceptance of the League Of Nations in
vitation to the 1882 disarmament con-
ference. A variety of reasons is assigned
officially in Washington for the Sec
rotary Of States European tour at this
critical stage of world affairs. The
principal reason is the Hoover admin
istration's anxiety for the success Of
the Geneva conference.
The particular job assigned Col.
Stimson during his vacation" in the
Old World is to iron out, If he can,
the Franco-Italian naval controversy.
He is attempting to carry on where
Ambassador Hugh Gibson and later
British Foreign Secretary Henderson
left off The accord" achieved last
February, mainly through Mr.. Hender-
sons personal activities in Paris and
Rome, collapsed couple of months
later in consequence of French demands
regarding replacement warships Neego-
tiationS are now deadlocked. Secretary
Stimson will leave no stone unturned
to revive them.
Definite Ratios Sought.
It is recognized in Washington that
unless and until France and Italy can
be brought together on the matter of
relative naval strength, the prospect Of
general disarmament" in Europe-the
object of next years conference.-the
remain clouded. The Italians have been
demanding the same sort of parity at
sea that the United States demanded
and receiVed-from Great Britain at
the London Naval Conference in 1880.
France to date has stoutly resisted the
Italians claims, insisting that Italy's
necessity for sea power is not COM
mensurate with French needs.
AS result of the Henderson medi-
alton in February the two countries
came to an agreement of which the
outstanding points were ID the stabili-
zation of the French and Italian fleets
for the period of the London naval
treaty (untl December 81, 1880; 90
France was to retain a superiority over
Italy in battleshipS and submarines as
we'll as in older cruisers and destroyers
while in new construction to be COM
pleted the tonnage of the two powers
was to be approximately equal; and
80 the question of parity was to be
avoided by declaration. to be signed
by Great Britain, Italy and France or
else by all the London treaty powers,
setting forth that no permanent ratio
IN any category of ships was to be
established as among the three Euro
pean naval powers-Great Britain, Italy
and France" The Henderson accord
particularly declared that no finality
was being adopted with reference to
ultimate replacement of ships remain
Ing average on December 81, 1886"
Split on Requirements.
1t was on the rock of this leverage
ships provision that the Henderson
agreement was wrecked The French
finally let it be known that they con-
Sidered they had the right to begin
replacing all of their average ships
before the termination of the agree
ment at the end of 1886. Of and on
since the breakdown of the Henderson
accord there have been various peace
gestures from both Paris and Rome
One of them was the decision of the
French Chamber of Deputies not to
proceed Immediately with legislation
for the projected new 23,333-ton
French battleship-France's answer to
the Germans 10000-ton pocket bat
tleship' Deutschland, recently launched
But the dispute persisted and it is
bulklng conSpicuously in the CONVEX
sations Secretary Stimson is holding
with Mussolini and Grandi, at Rome,
and those scheduled for this week in
Paris with Premier Laval and Foreign
Minister BRAND
Washington officialdom reads deep
significance on the naval armament
question into Mussolini's remarks in
Rome last Thursday, following his
conference with Secretary Stimson
Italy, said the Fascist chief, would be
satisfied with 10000 rifles" provided
no other country has more than that
number. In other words, echoing
sentiments frequently expressed by
President Hoover about Americas will
lingness to reduce her armed strength
to as low point as any other nation,
Italy is ready to cut her fleet to the
bone if France will do likewise, ton for
ton and gun for gun. That is exactly
what the French-at least on the basis
of their attitude to date-are unwilling
to do
EscalatOr Clause Automtic.
This in a nutshell is the situation
into which Secretary Stimson has
Waded. How far his mediatory efforts
will go has not been disclosed. He
will certainly emphasize President
Hoover's doctrine that world economic
recovery, moratorium or no morato-
rum, cannot be effectually achieved
while countries are squandering so
much of their substance on armament
expenditure. Conscious, as the Hoo
yer prime minister" is, that Europe
is not likely to bury the armament
Ratchet while the two continental naval
powers are at loggerheads over their
fleets, Col. Stim5on may be expected
to exhaust every resource at his COM
mand to compose their differences. At
the present moment these differences
vitality threaten the success of the
Geneva conference.
One phase of the Franco-Italian con-
troverSy has a direct interest for the
United States, entirely apart from our
eagerneSs for disarmament results when
the powers confer in 1882. If the
French and Italians do not enter into
the limitation agreement, now confined
to the United States, Great Britain
and Japan, and make it a f1ve-power
accord. article 81 of the three-power
London treaty will automatically come
into effect. That is the celebrated
'escalator" or escape" clause, which
permits any one of the three signatory
powers to disregard the fleet ratios as
signed it and build up to it's determined
needs, in case some power outside the
agreement, by its own building plans,
makes it necessary.
Rivalry Threatens Anew.
The British, as was made plain afresh
in the recent naval debate in the House
of Commons, will not tolerate either a
French or Italian fleet which threatens
British supremacy in European waters.
especially the Mediterranean. If John
Bull should be compelled to construct
a fleet bigger than the London treaty
fleet, Uncle Sam would be required to
do likewise if this country is to main
tain desired parity with Britain.
Secretary Stimson, of course will
lsarn at first hand all about the under
lying political chickering's which keep
France and Italy watching each other
like hawks. The italians are especially
resentful of the French alliance with
Jugo-Slavia. and fear that Paris is sys-
tematically goading the Jugo-Slavs into