Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-08
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

TIME administration is proceeding
with the preparation of the con-
ference for general disarma-
i ment to be held at Geneva in
February, 1882.
Most Of the material necessary to the
American delegates and experts Is prac-
tically ready. Piles of documents and
and even the names Of the delegates
are tentatively mentioned. Lists are
being drafted and submitted to the
President. The State, Navy ana War
departments. feVeriShly active, are ex-
pected to be ready for action before the
end of the year.
Yet in the minds of many who
have been following the develop
ments of the last few weeks, and eSpe-
cially since the visit of Premier Laval,
there has been a certain amount OF
doubt as to whether the conference
would be held at all; or, If 1t must be
held, because it has been so widely ad-
vertised, what positive results can be
anticipated.
Before Mr.. Laval had his converse
tions with the President, during which
he informed Mr.. Hoover that France
cannot reduce her ornaments more than
she has done unless she can count upon
other nations to guarantee her security,
the world had been living in hopes
These we're the hopes of the man who Is
completely broke but has rich uncle
who at his death might leave him
enough money to get him out OF
trouble. The disappointment is great
when he finds his name not even men
tioned in the will.
The French government has been
telling the League of Nations that
France will not disarm unless she is
given certain positive guarantees re-
,-fN ftn NxTnll
intentioned M. BRAND and the ardent
pacifist, Paul Boncour, have been re-
peating this for years.
In spite of this, most everybody in
Europe and certain number OF people
in the United States were thinking
President Hoover would be able to say
or do something that might inauce Pre-
mier Laval to go back to France and
tell his people that France can safely
announce she is willing to reduce her
armies. Nothing Of the sort has hap
pened.
Prospects Not Bright.
The President, in spite of what had
been rumored before the French pre-
mier'S visit, was not able to suggest
even a mild consultative pact, and Mr..
slightest hope for Frances disarma-
menS.
OF course, the French Premier as
sured the President of Frances pacific
intentions (Which nobody doubte). He
assured the President Of Frances will
ingneSs to support the United States
and the League of Nations to make the
general disarmament conference a sue
cess, but he said unequivocally that
France without security pact cannot
disband q single battalion nor scrap
single gunboat.
With France refusing to reduce her
ornaments, the prospects of the con-
ference are not bright
The Germans and many other Euro
pean nations which have taken up en-
Enthusiastically the idea Of general disarm-
ament maintain that France must re-
duce her LAND, air and sea forces in
order to honor the treaty Of Versailles,
of which she is a signatory and the
foremost protagonist of its tnviola-
Sility.
The treaty of Versailles provides
clearly that when the nations which
had been defeated in the World War
are completely disarmed the victorious
nations will also reduce their arma-
Rnents.
An interallied commission of control
was organized after the war to super
wise the disarmament of Germany, Aus
tria, Hungary and Bulgaria. The COM
mission was disbanded in 1926, when it
reported that those countries had full
filled their treaty obligations, and left
whatever control there was still to be
exercised in the hands Of the League Of
Nations.
Twelve years have passed since the
signature of the Versailles treaty and
some five years since the Withdrawal Of
tie commission of military control. The
Germans say now that it is high time
for the victorious natiors to reduce
their ornaments as 1t is provided in
the peace treaty. The United States is
net involved at all. The British are
more or less in the same position.
Their army is larger than ours, because
of the troops Great Britain must main
tain in India and in the Near and
Middle East. The Italians have large
army, but they argue that though
they are as willing as the United States
or Great Britain to m axe substantial
reductions they are unable to do so as
long as their neighbor, France, has a
large and powerful military and naval
fierce.
Germany Accuses France.
Poland and the smaller Southeastern
European states maintain comparatively
important armed forces because France
wants them to. They have, however, a
good alibi, in that they feel menaced by
Russia, which is supposed to have q
large and efficient military force
Germany, which is theoretically dis
armed-it has only 100000 regular
troops, no military aviation, no heavy
artillery. no tankS-accuSes France OF
breaking the treaty Of Versailles by
maintaining the important military es-
tablishment she has now
The German Nationalist, who are
the most vociferous on this subject
claim Frances that che YnIlSi
maintain what she considers an ade-
Quate army unless she has a security
pact is nonsense; that the treaty o.
Versailles does not provide for such ar
emergency, and that the League of Ma.
items, of which all the interested coun
tries in Europe are men bers mus
satisfy the French desire for security
The German Nationalist, who car
talk a good Zeal because. for the tim,
being. they are not responsible for tn,
government of Germany, have mas
yelled threats that unless France dis
arms the German people will regarC
the treaty of Versailles as void. The,
consider the treaty as binding for al
signatories, and II one of them does no
comply with its provisions the other
are free to ignore it. too.
1t is in this atmosphere that some s.
nations are going to meet early in Feb
ruary at Geneva. On the one side Their
will be good deal Of pressure OF
France to disarm. On the other sid
there will be good deal of resistance
based on the fact that nobody is in
sufficiently strong position today +
compel France to do something she doe
not want to do.
Naturally, under these circumstance.
there are a good many people in thi
country and abroad who wonde
whether 1t would rot be advisable I
let sleeping dogs lie.