The Washington times., 1932-11-26
STAND IS FIRM
FOR DEG. Is
PAYMENTS
President Has No Power to
Suspend or Cancel 0bIi-
cations, Note Says
BY GEORGE r. HOLMES

4A AAASAAAAJ bub A4O11C VIC ACoo
firm language Europe was in
formed today that the American
Government and the American
people expect the war debt obliga-
tions to be discharged on Decem.
ber is, and that after that Con-
gress will decide what, If any,
further leniency is to be shown
In the way Of softening the debt
agreements.
President Hoover in his forth
coming message to the lame duck
Congress will recommend the re-
creation Of the war debt funding
commission, or some other agency
empowered to deal with the
debts, but he has given no
assurances to Europe that his
advice will be followed.
Notes Made Public
These were the outstanding
points in the American replies to
the notes Of the European debtors
asking postponement of the De-
cember payment, which the State
Department made public today.
They were addressed specifically
70 Great Britain, France and
Belgium, which between them
owe the United States $11,042,-
100000.
The American notes we're not
adentic, although similar in con-
tent and logic. In each case they
professed sympathy for Europe'S
viewpoint, but emphasized that
the President had no power to
ameliorate the terms, much less
remit the debts, and promised
only that the Executive would
present their respective cases to
CongreSs-the only power that
can effect any change in the
existing agreements.
Reply to England
The reply to the British note
was typical. In it, Secretary Of
State StimSon said:
'T confess / cannot see any
presentation in your note which
would be likely to induce the
Congress Of the United States
TO act upon the question any
differently now from the man
ner and the principles upon
which 1t has acted in the past.
'The attitude of the PreSi-
dent, therefore, is that for any
suggested study Of intergOvern-
mental financial obligations as
now existing, some such agency
as / have referred to should be
created to consider this queS-
tiOn individually with each
government as heretofore. The
President il prepared to re-
commend to Congress that 1t
constitute an agency to examine
the whole subject.
Gas to the suspension OF the
instaIIment Of the British debt
due on December Is, which Is
one Of the ObjectiveS in your
note, NO authority lies within
) the Executive to grant such an
extension, and no facts have
been placed in our possession
3 which could be presented to
the Congress for favorable con-
SideratiOn.
PUBLIC OPINION CITED
'Such importance is attached
BY our Government and people
TO the maintenance Of the
original agreements in force by
the payment on December Is
as to far outweigh any reasons
now apparent for its Suspen-
sion, and by such payments the
prospects Of satisfactory
approach to the whole QueS-
ton, in my opinion, would be
greatly increased"
!: This is tantamount to inform
ing Europe that the American
Government will neither recog-
a4ize nor deal with any concert
.0f nations on the debt question.
The settlements were made in
dividually, according to capacity
TO pay" and any change in the
Agreements will have to pc
effected through the application
i0f the same principle.
The debtor countries may gang
H1p'' ON the United States IN tnelr
nrouaganda and pressure for can
s.eIiation or reduction Of their
indebtedness, but the notes made
91,Iiolic today emphasized that
,each debtor country is to be dealt
With on an individual basis, ana
according to "the capacity 10
jpay'' Of each.
poland and CzechosloVakia were
added today to the list OF ma
lions to which this Government
Inss turned cold shoulder on
proposals suspending the debt
payments. 1r
wpilipowicz, and the CzechoSlo-
vakian minister, M. Veverka,
caIIed at the State Department
md received from the hands OF
Acting Secretary of State Castle
notes similar to those sent earlier
IN the week to the British,
FRENCH and Belgian ambassadors.
The texts were not made pub
aic but it was understood the
wording in both cases was very
similar to that Of the previous
notes. .... -z
WRITER TO TALK
Peter Chambliss, Baltimore Sun
staff writer. viii be the speaker
AZ A