Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-01-19

| tagoniStic powers. Because our position
of being first class power, without an
| Army and with a comparative small
! Navy, the administration hopes that our
delegates will be able to render clashes
! between suspicious nations less violent.
! In other words, our delegation will act
! as shock absorbers of the Geneva con-
! ference.
Reduction Unlikely Now.
/ In order to avoid any serious disap-
pointment regarding the possible results
of the conference, it must be borne in
mind that there can be no disarma-
ment at Geneva this year; the most we
| can hope for is a reduction OF arma-
ments. and the only probable result Will
/ be a limitation If only the latter Is
achieved. it would mean tremendous
| step toward international amity. For
| this reason all that can be ratlonalIy
| hoped for, is an agreement TO limit the
| armed forces of the world to about their
present levels
Economic depression, which prevails
| in most European countries more than
| in the United States is one OF the
main reasons why the administration
| believes the powers will come to de-
| ciSion to reduce substantially their MILL
| tary expenditure 1t is inconceiVable,
| in the opinion of our economists and
| international experts, that they should
continue to spend tremendous amounts
for armies and navies when their popu-
lation is suffering hardships which IN
many cases may lead to serious internal
troubles.
Our experts have, of course, good
deal of logic in their summing up OF
the world situation. But sometimes ma
tions don't act logically when they
think their national interests are at
stake.
Vital Political Questions.
One must always bear in mind that
! the principal actors of the drama
which is going to develop on the shores
| of Lake Geneva are the European ma
| lions There are a number of vital po-
| litical questions which must be solved
| before the necessary confidence of those
| powers in each other is established, and
| it will be only after that confidence is
established that we can talk about dis
| armament or substantial reduction
of ornaments.
| Realizing this capital handicap to the
| solution of the arms problem, the
American Government, through Secre-
tary Henry L. Stimson, has done all
| that was in it's power to get pairs of
nations to discuss their various prob
| lens with one another.
| The French, the British, the Italian
and the German leaders have been Wis
iting and talking confldentially with
I one another since last August. M.
Laval and Signor Grandi have been in
vited to the United States to discuss
| the problems of Europe in the light OF
what could be done to resume normal
life in that section of the world.
The results of these private CONVEX
sations have yielded much less than
was expected of them. They have
cleared the atmosphere, inasmuch as
they have plainly indicated to leaders
of the European nations that the ex-.
isting misunderstanding cannot be
solved except by drastic methods.
These private conferences in Paris,
London Berlin and Rome have not
| helped in any way the political prep
aration of the Geneva Conference and
| the relations between France, Germany
and Italy are as strained as they were
a few months ago.
Retain Old Stands.
Each of these nations is standing by
it's guns The Germans want reduc-
ton of ornaments to bring the other
European nations to the German level,
the French want no reduction of their
present status unless they are given an
adequate security pact, the Italians
want drastic reductions which must be
applied to all nations equally, and the
British want to save money without,
hpUeuor iror jri fhair mo iron
power.
If the European powers were not at
. loggerheads, If their political troubles,
which are causing fear and suspicion,
could be solved, the Geneva arms con-
ference would yield results in less than
two months. But it is the political
rivalries aggravated by economic prob
lens which render the situation diff
cult.
Under the circumstances, from the
purely technical point OF view, 1t is only
natural that each country should go
to Geneva with the wish Of obtaining
results beneficial to its own particular
interests This is the great drawback
of the Geneva meeting. Instead OF
having all the nations present working
for the same international aim, they
will be working exclusively for their
own national interests.
Here is a summary of what the in
tentons of each country will be in &C
cordance with indications given by
their respective leaders in the course
of the last wear.
Great Britain, while having only lit
tie interest in the military side OF the
conference, hopes to obtain the abolish
ment of submarines and a drastic re-
duction of the world air forces and air.
craft carriers. The reason for this is
that France has a marked superiority
over Britain in these classes of arma-
ments.
Parity Is Italy's Aim.
italy is after parity with France in
land forces and substantial reduction
of Frances submarines, airplane car
riers and capital ships. She is little
concerned about Frances cruisers be-
cause she has at present almost reached
parity with that country in that type
of ships.
Germany wants everybody brought
down to her level; failing that, she
wants the right to have an army equal
to that of any other European country
France wants, in case she cannot OBJ
, tain a watertight security pact, an
army equal to combined forces Of her
neighbors Germany and italy,. AS
far as her navy is concerned she wants
her tonnage in light craft to be grouped
together. because she is building large
destroyers which have such cruising
radius and such an equipment that
they would be considered by the other
naval powers as light cruisers.
She also wants to reduce the size OF
capital ships to $4,000 tons, because
such ships would tend 70 equalize any
possible British menace and also neu-
tralize the German pocket battleShip.
Japan will take only platonic inter-
est in the question of limitation of land
armies. She does not bother much
about treaties in any case. at least as
far as her national policy is concerned.
She homes however TO obtain at