The Washington times., 1932-07-12
N DONALD SEES
A DELICATE
SITUATION
BeuS U. S. Not to Be MiSIed;
Denies "GentIemen'S
Agreement" Secret
By LINTON WELLS

LONDON, July II Q.N.S)'
Admission that "delicate re-
lations" exist between the
United States and Britain on
the war debt question was
made by Prime Minister j.
Ramsay Macdonald in a speech
before the House of Commons
this afternoon.
Premier Macdonald failed to
answer the charge made by
former Chancellor of the Elk
chequer Winston Churchill that
the Lausanne reparations treaty
was null and void unless Amer
ica cancelled or reduced the wal
debts.
Secrecy Denied
He denied, however, that there
was a secret agreement to this
effect, explaining the situation by
stating he had openly promised
Germany a new conference il
the present pact failed.
The Premier made no allusion
to the statement of Neville Cham
berlain, present Chancellor of the
Exchequer, that the United
States was consulted before the
agreement was reached, but in
sisted that America had never
uttered a pledge or indicated how
far it would go in reducing wal
debts.
BegS Understanding
Macdonald closed his addres;
with an appeal to American
newspaper correspondents mot tt
use their voices to make it diff
ficult for America to under
stand u.s."
Premier Macdonald referred tt
the speech of Winston Churchill
in which the latter referred tt
the Lausanne Treaty as IAN un
fortunate approach toward deb
cancellation" He said:
"Mr. Churchill said he never
heard of the gentlemen'S agree
ment. He will be surprised If /
tell him that 1 announced this
decision at Lausanne on Friday
morning when a plenary Ses-
sion of the conference opened
in the presence of the press.
'It was in reply to a ques-
ton by the German Chancellor,
who asked if the plan failed
would the Germans be guar
anteed that another conference
would follow. / said certainly,
because but for that we would
have to go back to the Young
Plan.
"Tn order to prevent that,
We superimpOsed another agree
ment by means of a COM
promise, by talking over and
understanding things"
MAKES PLEA TO PRESS
Premier Macdonald closed hi
remarks with an appeal to mem
bers of the International Press
He said:
81 hope that those who have
voices which carry across the
Atlantic won't use their voices
to make it difficult for America
to understand us. There are
still delicate relations"
The prime minister denied tina
the nations of Europe. using olS
armament as weapon, ha'
banded together to serve an ult'
matum upon the United States
Every Tender Spot"
He, continued:
81 am confident, and I don't
care who knows it home or
abroad, that in dealing with the
matter of American debts we
are touching a very tender spot
and 1 want to state clearly that
no one has the right to blame
America for taking the attitude
it has done.
Had we all got together. our
work would have been greatly
simplified, but America felt it
had to be consistent through
out.
"And 1 for One-althOugh
America has never uttered a
pledge so far as know nor in
any way indicated how far it IS
prepared to meet uS-1 believe
there is no nation more ready to
lend a hand in Strengthening
out the entang'ementS and trOu-
bIes which surround us than
America and her people"
HOPE SEEN IN U. S.
Europe has been led to believe
Premier Macdonald said, that tn
United States would conside
helping to straighten out thes
entanglements after Europe go
her own house in order.
In the debate that followe
MacDonald's statement DaVl
Lloyd George, Liberal leader, sal
he approved Great Britain's orig
nal policy of complete cancelli
ton. and expressed regret tina
the Lausanne conference had tal
ed to approve it.
WOMEN AT INSTITUTE
Four Arlington county Wome