Evening star., 1932-07-14
ST|MSON, BORAH
WEIGH NEW PACT
Discuss Effect of Anglo.
French Entente on Debts
and Arms.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.
Senator Borah and Secretary of
State Stimson we're closeted for half
an hour this morning discussing. it
is said. the effect of the new British
French entente on war debts and the
Disarmament Conference.
In the State Department it is felt
that while this new entente may have
considerable repercussion in Europe, it
can have no Instantaneous effects on
America.
The stand of the administration on
debts Is clear and any of the European
countries, 1t is officially stated, which
may have had reason for interpreting
in their own way the statements OF
President Hoover about Europe put
ting its house in order" recently have
had clear indication as to what those
meant
New Hopes Raised.
On the whole, the State Department
feels an understanding leading to a
closer cooperation between France and
Great Britain will tend to clarity the
European situation and raises new
hopes that the two most powerful
states on that continent working hand
in-hand will be able to achieve some
thing more constructive than If they
worked separately.
France has been very sensitive lately
at the close cooperation between Great
Britain and the United States and has
accused this country repeatedly of
sprlnging surprises on Europe, some
times detrimental to French interests.
in cooperation with the British gov
ernment. One of the principal rea-
sons Why France was SO ANNOYED last
year with the Hoover moratorium plan
was because the French government
asserted that the Government of the
United States had consulted the Brit
ish government while it left the
French government in complete ig-
norance of what 1t intended to do until
the last moment
Proposals made by the American del
egates at Geneva were also frequently
opposed by French delegates when they
thought that these proposals were the
result Of private conversations between
the British and the American deleg% ties
Now that France and Great Britain
have reached political agreement no
longer can there be any suspicion on
the part Of France that America and
Great Britain are working secretly to
undermine Frances prestige
Discrepancies "Inev;tA bIr"
The serious discrepancies between
statements OF Premier Herriot and Sir
JOHN Simon. the British secretary of
state. regarding the scope OF the new
agreement is considered in Washington
as inevitable
The French premier. in his anxiety
TO ,-{ re k,a
the Lausanne agreement, has the nat
ural desire to represent the new entente
in the most favorable light There Is
good deal Of fear among members of
the parties OF the right In the French
chamber who are at present supporting
the Herriot government. that as soon as
the reparation problem is out OF the
way. the German nationalist govern
ment will apply itself to obtain further
advantages from France and demand
the gradual revision of the entire Ver-
sailles treaty. The parties OF the right
will not subscribe to any such claim
from Germany
In order to alleviate these fears,
Premier Herriot has sprung great sur
prise on the French people by announc-
ing dramatically the conclusion of a
new entente with Great Britain: an
entente which all French governments
have been seeking for years. because
II gave France complete security against
any, of her potential enemies. 1t was
necessary, 1t is said in we'll informed
quarters in Washington. that Premier
capital out of this act OF friendship of
the British even at the risk OF some
what eXaggerating the actual purpose
~ tha pritich ooraap,npt
Macdonald Resisted.
On the other hand. the British do
not want to give the impression that
the British Empire is bound hand and
foot to the French and their policies on
the continent. In Great Britain there
are a number of influential people. like
Philip Snowden. Lloyd George and some
of the press magnates who are in favor
of the revision of the treaty Of Yer
sailles and the Macdonald administra-
tion does not want to appear as having
gone too far in supporting the French
dogma that the Versailles treaty is
and consequently cannot be
t-".chrd.
Ramsay Macdonald, 1t is said agreed
to commit his government to the agree
ment with France only after he gained
the conviction that in no other way
could the Lausanne reparation confer
ence be saved. He resisted until the
last minute. but when Premier Herriot
returned from Paris and informed the
British Premier that unless he could
gain the support of the right for the
Lausanne agreement. he could not
agree to the terms proposed by the Ger
mans and the British, Ramsey MacDon-
aid agreed to enter into an agreement
with the French Premier This is be-
ing interpreted in Europe as the re-
vival of the old Entente Cordiale."
He agreed to this, it is said, only with
the object OF saving the Lausanne Con-
threat of financial collapse of Ger
many, with all its consequences. and
with the hope that France, having
gained the support Of Britain. would
be less nervous about the danger of
being attacked again and thus be will
ing to cooperate with the British and
the American delegates at Geneva for
an actual reduction of land armies.
Ramsay MacDonald's purpose Is, Of
course, not entirely unselflsh. He realizes
from conversations he has had with
Secretary of State StimSon and other
American officials few month ago.
that unless there is an actual reduction
in ornaments there can be no question
of the American administration taking
any steps to reduce the war debts. And
since Britain is the most important
debtor nation, and her annuities actual
ly weigh heavily on the British taxpayer,
especially since the German reparations
and the debts of the other nations to
Britain are, to all intentS and purposes.
cancelled, she is anxious to settle to her
advantage the debt question without