Evening star., 1932-12-24
HO0VER-RO0SEVE[T'
TIFF STAYS ACTION.
Two.Month Moratorium on
Main Problems Imposed
! by Disagreement. :
BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.

PARIS, december I4.-A CWO-mOnLn
moratorium on international negotia-
tions apparently is imposed on the
world by the disagreement between
President Hoover and President-elect
Roosevelt
Publication of correspondence be-
tween the outgoing and the incoming
Europe that no effective cooperation
with the United States is possible until
after March 4. possibly not until sew
eral weeks after March 4. Indeed,
President t-e:oct Roosevelt's apparent re-
fusal to be bound in any respect by the
Hoover administration is interpreted
as virtually serving a warning on
foreign powers to wait.
Meanwhile, as not one important
international issue, whether 1t be war
debts, disarmament, the economic con-
ference or the Far East, can effectively
patton. what this all means is not
merely that Europe must wait for
Presilent-elect Roosevelt, but other
great powers must wait as among them
selves. In the present shaky economic
and political situation Of Europe. this
is an unpleasant prospect, yet 1t Is
now considered inescapable.
U. S. Policy Stirs Curiosity.
The utmost curiosity prevails about
the future American foreign policy.
Remembering how in 1920 the Republi
cans virtually reversed the Democratic
conceptions, European statesmen scarcely
know what to expect from President
elect Roosevelt. All sorts of rumors are
current.
The United States, it is whispered.
will henceforth be uninterested in dis
armament. 1t will drop the so-called
Stimson policies in the Far East and
take some new line. The new President
will be more liberal, it IS said. in trade
agreements and more reasonable IN the
war debt controversy.
One fantastic story Is that the United
States, under Democratic rule, will even
forego all ambition to maintain its
position and face its responsibilities as
a leading world power; will free the
Philippines withdraw from the Far East
as well as from Europe, let its Navy
decline, reduce its industrial and agri-
cultural output and live henceforth to
itself alone.
However incredible such rumors may
be. the fact that they continue to circu-
late is evidence of the uncertainty which
now prevails and under the influence Of
which other powers tend simply to sus-
pend all important negotiations until the
situation clarifies itself.
II any further proof were needed Of
the role which the United States,
whether it likes it or not. now inevitably
plays In world affairs, this tendency to
cease all international negotiations at
interim in the functioning Of the
American governmental machinery would
seemingly be conclusive.
Review of Main Problem.
The difficulties confronting other
powers. which they think prevent them
from going ahead meanwhile without
the United States. can best be realized
by a brief review of how the main
problems now appear,
/. The Far East. Great Britain,
France, Germany ana Italy. while not
greatly sympathizing with the Amer
slightest intention Of committing. them
selves, save in the closest possible CO.
operation with the United States.
Their secret feeling Is that the United
States has been trying to get the
League of Nations to solve the Man
churian imbroglio, while the United
States itself declines any responsibility
therein.
This feeling seems to be unjustihed,
yet it must be recognized as a fact
They. therefore, intend, as they have
shown clearly in Geneva within the last
few days. to withhold further League
fhAyy 1y1n vryho fhn
eventual American position is going to
be; whether the United States refuses
to recognize Manchukuo; whether the
United States is going to recognize
Russia, and what attitude the UniSed
States intends to assume toward Japan
and China in general.
2. Disarmament. The present indi-
cations are that 1t will be impossible
to get much further in disarmament
without at least discussing the French
security plan. What the French now
really want is close organization of
arbitration and mutual aid, with an
But for this they want to make sure
that they can count on the benevolent
action Of the British Navy, which the
British, in turn, make dependent on as
surances from the United States that
it will not try to trade with an eventual
aggressor.
Two Parleys Linked.
Thus, unless and until the United
States Is ready to say what it can or
cannot do with respect to consultation
under the Kellogg pact and the sus-
pension of neutral rights in case Of
aggression, progress in disarmament
is thought to be impossible. Europe
also wants to know whether President
elect Roosevelt is going to maintain
the Hoover disarmament plan.
8. War debts and the economic con-
ference: While theoretically distinct,
in reality these two questions are
tariff and monetary problems is i'm
possible unless Great Britain consents
to stabilize its currency. and Great
Britain refuses to stabilize until there
has been new war debts settlement.
Thus, until new war debts settle
ment seems assured, which thus far
is not considered to be the case, 1t
seems impractical even to try to ex-
plore in preliminary talks such sub
jects as gold standard barriers; more
80, as President Hoovers ideas on
tariff reciprocity and the most-favored-
nation clause are believed to differ
widely from those of President-elect
Roosevelt.
It is an interesting but not insig-
nificant detail that the tentative
agreements reached on quotas and the
conclusion Of new commercial treaty
are now being held in allegiance in
France. For why" the French seem
to say, should we make with --esi-
dent Hoover arrangements which the
Roosevelt administration may never