Evening star., 1932-06-02
MELLON MAY HEAD
PARLEY DELEGATES
Ambassador Regarded Presi-
dents Choice if London
Conference Is Held.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

Although President Hoover has not
indicated yet whom he intends to ap-
point as the head of the American dele
cation at the London economic confer
ence II that conference materializes, 1t
Is believed in unusually well informed
quarters that Ambassador Andrew Mel
lon will be asked to preside over the
American delegation and that Norman
Davis will be one of it's members.
The news that the Lausanne repara-
ton conference may be divided in two,
the latter part dealing with economics,
independent Of reparations. and may be
held in London, caused certain amount
Of surprise in Washington.
Until yesterday there was no indi-
cation that the European powers
scheduled to meet at Lausanne on
June l6 would discuss anything but
the reparations problem.
Traced to Macdonald.
The change is believed to be due to
the fact that Ramsay Macdonald,
realizing that the Lausanne parley
could not reach anything constructive
outside a decision to extend the pres
ent moratorium to Germany, has OBJ
tanned the consent of Edouard Herriot
and Mussolini to widen the scope of
the parley in order to bring the United
States again in direct contact with
Europe's economic problems. Conse-
quently 1t is believed that the actual
reparations conference will be rushed
through as quickly as possible in order
to allow ample time to the other pow
ers to meet the representatives of the
American Government in London and
discuss together various problems which
indirectly must have a bearing on the
question of reparations and debts.
1t is too early for any government to
have established any definite agenda.
But, as far as the American Govern
ment Is concerned, it has made def
nitely clear that question Of debts,
reparation disarmament and tariff
rates cannot be discussed.
From these restrictions it would ap-
pear clear that this new conference will
have to conflne its discussions to more
or less theoretical problems such as
tariff policies, gold standard, the sta
bilization of silver, most favored nation
clauses and other such topics
Want U. S. There.
But the anxiety of the European
powers to get the United States into
conference like the one proposed to
be held in London is due primarily to
the fact that such generalities result
frequently in important practical poll
cies
Indirectly, the official American dele
gates will be acquainted with the results
of the reparations parleys and the
problems most European nations are
facing because of trade difficulties
caused by tariff walls and the gathering
of gold in only two countries the United
States and France An official American
delegation will be able to hear, in spite of
its desire not to listen, how impossible 1t
is for France and Great Britain to con-
tinue the payment of war debts when
they have to forego payments from
Germany.
All these things will be brought to
the notice of the American Government
and the American public through the
press, if the London conference is not
held, but with such a conference an
American delegation will have to take
cognizance officially of all these hard
ships.