Evening star., 1932-07-24
ARMS
DRAFT |SAD0PTED
Resolution Based on Hoover
Plan Is O.k.ed as Geneva
ParIey Adjourns.
BY PAUL SCOTT. MOWRER.

BY PAUL SCOTT. MOWRER.
BY Catle to The Star.
GENEVA, July 23.-The American
British French draft disarmament reso-
luton, based largely on the Hoover
proposals, was adopted today by a ma
jority vote of the General Commission
of the World Disarmament Conference
without modification or amendment.
The commission then adjourned. The
delegates, tired and disillusioned by six
months of effort, scattered home to
every part of the world.
But the conference is not ended.
theoretically 1t continues uninter-
ruptedly. The first stage, whose coa-
clusion is marked by the resolution,
will be followed Immediately by the
Second stage.
The bureau Of the conference will
reconyene August 81. Important pri-
vate negotiations among the five naval
powers and the various land powers
will soon open. The General Commits
sion itself will Ieconvene the first Of
the year.
Resolution Far Reaching.
The resolution, 1t Is said, goes con-
siderably further than any one would
The three heaviest armed powers in
the world, Great Britain, France and
the United States, are formally pledged
TO real substantial reduction and full
limitation of their sea, air and land
forces.
The numerous little powers. though
having neither heavy arn1aments nor
heavy international responsibilities, de-
voted hours in the final discussion to
criticizing the resolution as inadequate.
OF two great powers. Japan and Italy
the former voted Yes but with res
ervations, while the latter. although it
had itself participated in the draft. sud
denly rejected it Thursday. following
Dino Grandi's dismissal as Italian for
eign minister and the dramatic flight
of Gen. Italo Balbo to Rome and back.
Soviet and Reich Vote NO"
Two more great powers assumed even
stronger negative attitudes. Russia
voted No as a matter Of course. Ger
many also voted No" at the same time
delivering an ultimatum for equality,
threatening to refuse to cooperate In
the future work of the conference.
The immediate result OF the action
Of the little states and the opposition.
avowed or unavowed. OF Japan, Italy.
Russia and Germany, seems to have
been merely to strengthen the deter
mination of Great Britain. the United
States and France to continue to work
together.
The chief criticism Of the malcontents
against the resolution is that it fails to
do Justice to the Hoover proposals. This
is not the viewpoint of the American
delegation. Certainly the Americans
would have liked to achieve more. But
in making such treaty as this. one
nation cannot simply impose its will or
ideas on others. Compromises were in
evitable.
Realization Not Impossible.
The result is that while the Hoover
proposals are by no means fully realized.
they have been and remain the real
basis OF negotiation and their complete
realization within the next six months
or year is by no means excluded.
The obstacles encountered will be
better understood from a few examples:
Proposal for a cut in ornaments by
about one-third. The Americans tried
repeatedly to get this into the text. The
British and French refused on the
grounds that the expression 'one-third'
would be unfair because il takes no &C
count of previous reductions. and Is
misleading because the Hoover pro-
posals themselves, except in the case OF
battleships. do not really prescribe a
one-third decrease.
In the matter of the numbers OF men,
= fE
only the defense component, which in
many cases would be merely a small
fraction of the Army.
Certain land weapons, according to
President Hoover. should not be reduced
one-third. but abolished.
For cruisers and destroyers. the re-
duction suggested is not a third, but a
fourth.
For submarines. the reduction for
Britain and the United States would be
third. but for France two-thirds.
France also asked If the United States
would consent to a one-third budgetary
reduction, and the United States re-
fused.
Nevertheless the United States got
France and Britain to agree to sub
stantial reduction" of all arms.
President Hoover proposed to abolish
tanks. But Britain insists that it must
keep small tanks to police the colonies
economically. and France insists that 1t
must keep big tanks as part OF its mo-
bile frontier defenses All compromised
a certain tonnage, to be determined.
Heavy Artillery Dispute.
preSidept Hoover nronosed tn abolish
heavy mobile artillery. The British
agreed but the French argued that the
size Of mobile guns should be permitted
to stand as great as that of fixed guns.
because fixed guns can always be rem
dered mobile by remounting. And the
size OF fixed guns in the coast defense
depends on the size of guns on war
ships Therefore, the French said. they
were willing to reduce land guns to any
size the United States was willing to
accept for naval guns.
The British wish to reduce the callber
Of naval guns, hence they agreed; but
the Americans felt obliged to refuse
In the compromise it was agreed to
Der to be determined. provided a way
can first be found to render fixed guns
really immobile.
President Hoover proposed to pro-
hibit all bombing from the air. The
French long tried to reserve the battle
held, but after many futile efforts to
define just what a battlefield is. they
gave in and agreed to complete prohi-
bition. The British, however, insisted
1n reserving certain regions" which
hey explained were colonial
After days of discussion the British
formula in which the sig
nat0rleS agree, as among themselves,
to prohibit bombing, thus apparently
leserving the right to police their own
territories with bombers.
Compromise on Planes.
To the American proposal to abolish
bombing planes, both the French and
British said they might agree if a way
could be found by international control