Evening star., 1932-11-13
Il. s. IS READY TO RESUME
DISARMAMENT CAMPAIGN
Herriot Plan, Providing Americas Aban-
donment of Freedom of Seas and Neu-
trality Rights, Is in Limelig hit.

patton of the Rhineland. Ever since
the defeat of the treaty they have been
seeking some method of tying us into
the system of enforced peace In Europe.
Gave French New Lead.
Mr.. Stimstn's Interpretation of the
Kellogg pact gave the French a new
lead and Herriot has seized upon 1t.
Moreover, whereas in 1919. at Paris,
Wilson was eager to get his program for
a league of nations established, Hoover
in recent times has been striving to get
results for his program of disarmament
Precisely as the price Wilson was asked
to pay was the treaty or guarantee,
the price that has been demanded OF
Hoover has been correlation of Amer
ican policy and League machinery to
re'train aggression.
Now en- the heels of the acceptance
BIZ the United States and Great Britain
of the French Interpretation of the
Stimson announcements, Herriot pro-
poses reduction of European arnla-
mentS. or, more exactly, a transfcrnla-
ton of the system Of arnaments. Regu-
lar armies in the American, British and
German forms are to be abolished,
although only the German will be
affected, for America and Britain are
outside the picture. Instead, only con-
script armies ere to be maintained.
That means, in simple terms, that the
whole existing German Army is to be
abo' ished and Germany is to 60 back
to the system of conscription. which
the French never abandoned and the
Germans only dropped because they
were forced to do it by the treaty of
Versa allies.
On this basis France and Germany
will train the same number of recruits
each year for the same length of time.
Nine months is now proposed instead
of the existing year-long period. Ger
many will disband her Reichswehr,
France her backbone of regulars. But
it must be noted at once that while this
will mean in the case of the French a
reduction of existing forces, in the case
of Germany it will mean an increase.
Moreover, in case of war France would
still be in position to mobilize her en-
tire male population, all actually
trained. Germany, instead OF being
limited to her Reichswehr, numbering
but 100000, would be able to mobilize
her conscriptS, who presently would
anew amount to millions.
Again, while France and Germany
would in theory train each year the
same number of recruits, France would
continue to maintain her colonial forces,
numbering 250,000 and corresponding
to the British Army in India, and this
would be composed of professional SOL
diers in large part. Noninally, the
standing army of France would thus
drop from 100000, the present figure.
to 100000, but the number of trained
men ready for service on the declara-
ton of war would remain unaffected.
Germany, having no colonies, and Italy,
having only minor foreign possessions,
would naturally have no corresponding
colonial force. while Great Britain, hav-
ing a similar situation to the French,
would be bound to back the French
claim.
Armies Are Mechanized.
1t is clear that the French general
staff is hostile to the Herriot plan, at
least measurably so, yet even to their
eyes it has merits. For they are deS-
perately afraid of this new professional
German army. 1t is actually an army
of real and prospective officers. Today
the tendency in military circles Is to-
ward small professional and completely
mechanical armies. The British have
been moving rapidly in this direction,
and the Germans have followed. France
has not gone as far, and has stuck to
numbers rather than machines, but she
also has built up a marvellous system
Of frontier defenses against the ma
chimes.
The Herriot plan would require the
dissolution of the present German
Army. 1t would take some years to
train enough recruits to equal the exist
ing French reserves. One might figure
that 5, or even 10, years would be
required for the reorganization OF the
German Army, and during that time
there would be small chance for con-
fliet. And along with the other details
of the French program Is the plan for
international supervision Of all arma-
ments, which would do away with the
danger of secret preparations.
Strategically, Herriot has half dozen
things In mind First of all, he must
get France out of the situation of SEEM
ing the obstacle to all progress toward
disarmament. He does that by pro-
posing his plan of abolishing profess
sional armies. Again, he must meet the
German demand for equality. He does
that by permitting German equality in
conscripts, but he keeps French numer-
ical advantage by maintaining the CO.
4Ct1ldA dAutyB AldOC uP Va PAOACooAOAAoA
soldiers. He has to keep British friend
ship, but he does that by going SO far
that he has become the target both of
direct attacks by French Nationalist
and indirect opposition by the French
Army.
To carry out this plan, Herriot looks
to the United States, now that our
elections are over, for some action on
the debt problem. His conception is
that the American Congress should
adopt some such resolution as that OF
Senator Capper, binding the United
States to follow the Stimson interpre-
tation of the Kellogg pact and pledging
itself to recognize, If not to participate
in, policies that the League may take
against an aggresSor. If America re-
fuses, Herriot will have satisfied the
demands of his Socialists and radicals
the Herriot plan will lapse, the Arms
Conference will continue to languish
but France and her allies will hold the
United States responsible.
Copyright. 1922