The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-12-02
ARMS CUTS HINGE ONU s. DEBTS DECISION
Movement Grows To Trade Revision
 For Disarmament
EDITORS NOTE: This is the I1tt of c series of three lnterpre- fnl1vB stories on the twin Issues of unr debts and disarmament.
BY MILTON BRoNNER


 RY MILTON BRONNER
 Enropcan Manager NEA Service
 London - When the League of Nations disarmament conference meets once more in Geneva 1t will depend very largely upon the United States whether this meeting win be a sad disappointment, like the one of last July, or the real thing.
 Prcsident-elect Fra kiln D. Hooseyelt. who will be entering oilico about the time that repre- sentatives of 60 nations begin their deliberations, will find himself con- fr0nted with a major world prob lem at the very outset of his ad- ministration. And in this, he will face a difficult situation.
 By the 1882 democratic platform, Roosevelt is committed to favoring s1nfernational agreements for the reduction of armaments." By the same platform, he is committed s.aKainst cancellation of debts ow- ing to the United States by foreign nations." Moreover, congress has recently voted against reduction.
 Obviously, any attempt to pro- mote disarmament by oft-suggested formula--that of trading the war debts for disarmament-will be hard to reconcile with the platform on which Roosevelt was elected.
 Europe-which has more men under arms to-day than in 1913. despite the "war to end war"-ap- parently Is little disposed to reduce araments unless something Is given in return. Recently, there have been predictions that if the United States refuses to reduce debts the allies will refuse to ratify the Laus- anne agreement which virtually cancels reparations. And every po- Iitical party in Germany is deter mined not to pay another penny of reparations, come what may. Three Plans
 But the League of Nations is go- ing ahead with it's plans for the disarmament conference, in which the United States will be repre- sented. The conference will have before 1t the elaborate proposals of Premier Herriot of France and Sir John simon of Great Britain, in addition to President Hoover's pro- posal which remains on its calen- dar from last summer.
 Hoover said the way to disarm was to disarm. He got down to figures and proposed something like q drastic cut of IS per cent in armaments. He said in this way fhe world could be relieved of a large part of the crushing burden that endangered peace and retard- ded economic recovery.
 Britain wanting to keep its navy, France desiring to keep it's army and Japan anxious to preserve both its nrmy and navy, all were hostile. Tho French and the Japanese were openly so. The British were more circumspect, because Sir John Sinon-being an adroit lawyer know how to word his way through the deliberations without commit tinc, his country. Germany was keen for the plan. So were Italy and Russia.
 But Hoover did not force his proposal to vote. All that was accomplished last summer was an agreement to prohibit the use of poison gas and disease germs In warfare-something that had been agreed upon years before. A plous wish to limit tanks, big guns ana military aircraft was registered, but no figures assigned and no i'm its fixed. A declaration also was made in favor of international con trol of civil aircraft to prevent fheir use for bombing in wartime. PiOus Wishes
 The net result of the July con- ference was that not ship was cut out of the navies, not one tank or big gun or military airplane was marked for destruction. The world was left very much as 1t was be- fore-armed to the teeth.
 Since this fiasco, however, sev- eral things have happened which may have a bearing on world peace.
 A federation of all the League of Nations societies i the world has demanded:
 i. That the five classes of az gressiye weapons now forbidden to Germany, Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria shall be forbidden to the rest of the world. These weapons are military aircraft, submarines, tanks, large mobile funs and bat f1eships above 10000 tons.
 2. That civil aircraft shall be Internationally controlled to pre- vent use for bombing.
 3. The use of poison gas and dis easa germs having been forbid den, preparation of the same for such use likewise should be for bidden.
 4. In addition, the military and naval budgets. should be cut 70 per cent (Hoover's figure).
 $. Most important of all, the private manufacturer of arms should be prohibited to end dollar interest," in wars and war scares on the part of selfish munitions makers.
 only a few months ago there was held in Vienna a meeting or a, yasts significance. It was the eighth congress of the Ciamac, an International federation of war wounded men and former combat ants. Unlike many silimar organ izations, this one comprises vet erans from both the allied and central powers.
 The Soldiers View
 These ex-enemies, now banded in a common cause, resolved un- animously that all talk of human izing'' war was folly and the pub lie should be so told; that former combatants should be put on guard against movements already started to make the next disarmament con- ference a failure: that all military organizations working for the preparation of war should be sup pressed; that there should be rig orous international control of the How One Woman Lost
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