Evening star., 1932-10-02
BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.


have SO many important
r American interests centered at
~ Geneva around the League Of
Nations as today. A brief
enumeration of these interests may be
given thus:
The disarmament conference. prep
aration for the world economic con-
ference, the Manchurian crisis. organ
ization of world peace around the Kel-
logg pact, hostilities between Paraguay
and Bolivia ratification of the new
World Court protocol and the opium
convention, the status of Liberia, the
precedent created by the transfcrma-
ton Of the inundated territory of 1rak
into an independent state, the status of
the so-called League loans to the Gen.
trail European countries. the relation OF
proposed European preferential arrange
ments to American rights under the
characterization clause. and, finally
the choice of a new secretary general
for the League who may or may not be
as considerate to American interests
and susceptibilities as Sir Eric Drum
mond of Great Britain, retiring incum-
bent, has been
In the debates on some of these af-
fairs, the United States has openly par
ticipated through official representa-
tlves, while in others Washington is
taking no part beyond the observation
of what happens.
Strong Representation.
To defend interests wherein the
Americans are openly participating,
there is now a strong representation.
Hugh R. Wilson, Minister to SWitzer-
land and disarmament expert; Rear
Admiral Arthur j. Hepburn, Lieut.. Col.
George " Strong, War Department adj
visor, and Ferdinand L. Mayer. coun-
selor of the American embassy at Brus-
sels, are conducting the disarmament
negotiations in Washingtons behalf.
Norman H. Davis, also concerned
with the Disarmament Conference, and
Frederic NJ. Sackett. Ambassador to
Germany, assisted by Prentiss B. Gil
bert, consul at Geneva, as well as the
staff of the consulate, are negotiating
the preparations for the economic con-
ference for the United States.
Samuel Reber, lr. American charge
dafaires at Monrovia, capital OF
Liberia has been assigned to act in
both the disarmament and L.berian
affairs. Allen w Dulles. New York
attorney. long experienced in the dlplo-
matte service and a participant III
many international conferences, is as
sisting the American disarmament staff
The weakness of this representation
is that it is not welded into single
unit. but scattered and that it lacks
secretarial help and transportation
facilities. There is reason to believe,
nevertheless, that the American view
point will be adequately represented and
defended on all points.
Review of Problems.
l Disarmament.
The United States intends to con-
tinue to push President Hoover's dis
armament plan envisaging roughly a
reduction of one-third in various cate
gories of military and naval strength.
NEGOTIATIONS on electives were resumed
yesterday Naval talks are expected to
begin soon
IN the dispute over the German claim
to equal rights in armaments the United
States, not being signatory Of the
treaty of Versailles, IS not directly in
terested. However, in the separate
peace treaty between the United States
and Germany the Americans reserved
all their rights under the Versailles dis
armament clauses, and one OF these
rearmament by Germany If the United
States should SO decide.
2. Preparation for the World Eco
nomic Conference.
Theoretically all that will be deter
mined now is the date and place. The
date presumably will be early next
year and the place, London.
But practically, the general scope OF
the conference will undoubtedly be
examined in private conversations.
There is a widespread feeling that 1t
would be useless to hold the confer
ence unless some measure of agreement
- SOD ir1n dy-nr y1-n 1fr
cipal powers on appropriate remedies
for the economic depression.
Private conversations will thus pre-
sumably be OF the utmost Importance,
affecting possibly the future prosperity
of every country in the world.
Watching Far East.
8. Manchurian crisis.
Lord Lytton's reporu-that drawn up
by the Earl of Lytton of Great Britain
together with Maj. Gen. Frank R. Nc
Gov of the United States and repre-
sentatives of France. Germany and
Italy, sitting the factors in the Sino-
Japanese dispute over Manchuria-from
which all future diplomatic action OF
the League of Nations in the Far East
will presumably derive, will be pub
lished today.
The United States has informed the
League that it will support as far as
possible whatever action Geneva may
take to restore and maintain peace in
the Orient.
China now has an exceptionally
strong delegation here, including w. w.
Yen. its Minister to Washington; DR..
Wellington Koo Minister to Paris, and
Quo Tai-Chai, Minister to London.
China wants to hurry matters and in
tends to fight every step OF the way.