Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-26
"AbysmaI Ignorance" Stand
soH Presidents Policy
Maintained.
FIVE "UNTRUTHS" SEEN
IN COMMITTEES REPLY
Present Naval Holiday Will Not
Save U. S. Ratio With Other
Fleets, New Statement Claims.

The Navy League. returning to the
assault of President Hoover's policy, now
maintains the principal charges of its
renowned "abysmal ignorance" state
ment stand unrefuted.
A new broadside by the league, issued
late yesterday, flung back the answer
of the presidential committee which
found it guilty of inaccuracies, false
assertions and erroneous conclusions"
1t went further, devoting six pages
of close print to a review Of what 1t
termed "Mr. Hoover's unconStructive
record as to naval building since he has
been President"
Addressed TO Directors.
The statement was in the form of a
17-page printed letter addressed by
Walter Bruce Howe, chairman of the
board, to the directors of the Navy
League. It promised a later full re-
joinder" to the committee which Mr..
Hoover named to demonstrate ''un-
truths and distortions Of fact" he found
in the original league attack. This was
issued by William Howard Gardiner,
president of the organization. Gardiner
supported by a vote Of confidence from
his executive committee, has not made
the apology which Mr.. Hoover said he
would expect.
Five specific untruths are ascr1bed in
the new pamphlet to the report OF the
Hoover committee. Contrary to this
report, said Howe, the United States is
not now engaged in more naval building
than any other power, as its own fig-
ures show France is way ahead; japan
did not agree to reduce its auxiliary
feet to a z to 10 ratio with the United
States under the London treaty; the
tables published in the Gardiner pam
phlet were not obsolete as charged Ga
long defense of this point was Inade);
the Japanese auxiliary feet (cruisers,
destroyers, etc. was not bigger than
the American at the time Of the Lon
don conference, and, finally, the League
did not give Japan's ratio as 1871 to
Americas l0-that was the figure given
for Great Britain.
Hoover Policy Second.
1t contested also the assertion the
present naval holiday would maintain
the status quo" in the world fleets, adj
vancing the argument the nearer APP
proach Of obsolescence for Americas
older ships must be reckoned.
Howe said President Hoover in his
three years in Office has not inaugu-
rated a single move to provide replace
mentS-not to mention upbuilding in
categories where we are below treaty
levels"
All the construction under way now,
he said, was inherited from previous
administrations. When the President
last Winter permitted the Navy to pre-
sent to Congress a $91 200, 900 building
program, he "exerted no vigorous eff
forts in its behalf" and allowed 1t to
die
His record, therefore, contended the
league chairman, does not accord with
established naval policy, nor with the
Republican platform upon which he
was elected Howe aSsailed the Presi-
dents Navy day statement that the
fleet now is adequate for defense OF the
country, seeing in this evidence that
Mr.. Hoover does not intend to build up
toward the London treaty total, giving
parity with Great Britain.
White House Silent.
Copies of the statement were sent to
the President members Of the cabinet
and members of Congress, as usual. 1t
was said at the White House there
would be no reply for the present, at
least. 1t was thought probable the
President would make no answer, stand
ing on the report of his own commit
tee, which indicated him after three
day investigation.
Turning the charge of misrepreSenta-
ton against the Presidential Inquisi-
torial Committee, Mr.. Howe declared
that group had misquoted Mr.. Gardiner
throughout with reference to Japan's
quota of auxiliary naval vessels. The
presidential inquirers said he applied
1871 quota to Japan and based its
principal arguments in defense OF the
President on that error. The fact was,
MIR. Howe said, that 1871 was the quota
applied to Great Britain in Mr.. Gar
diners original statement.
Mr.. Howe took up the committees
report to the President categorically.
He declared it had failed to tear down
single table submitted by the league.
He denied fatty that Japan had agreed
to reduce to a ratio below the United
States by 1886.
Taking up the committees closing
declaration that there was no basis Tor
the assumption that President Hoover
intended to abandon the Washington
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