The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-06-18
THE ACHIEVEMENTS" OF
THE WORLD DISARMAMENT"
CONFERENCE
BY BURCK

Generals and Adnirals have been given the
task of determining the limits of disarmament.
That is to say, the generals shall dig their own
graves. Even the "Neue zurcher zetung. de-
clared that the members of these Committees
theoretically always consider themselves at war
with the armed forces OF the country with whose
hostility they reckon so that from the stand
point of the military experts the Conference will
be successful "if the measures jointly decided on
are calculated to strengthen their own relative
positions rather than that of their opponents"
According to the "Neue zurcher zeitung" the
disputes and discussions in the Experts Com
missions have a great similarity with the war
games which are based the very real war
hypothesis of the various General Stats.
The most important result of the Geneva
negotiations is without doubt the motion adopted
on April 49, according to which disarmament
should take place on the basis of the notorious
article of the League of Nations Covenant,
ION that minimum which is compatible with
national security and with the carrying out of
the obligations rendered necessary as result
OF international action" at the same time TAX
ing into account the geographical situation and
the special conditions of each State. The World
Conference decided that its work should repre-
sent only the first step on the path to disarnaa-
ment, and that further disarmament Confer
ences must follow. With the adoption of these
decisions, which represent a victory of the
French security thesis. there was put through the
principle of a limitation of ornaments spread
over number of-years. At the same time the
reservations regarding the countries bordering
+J,a
pletely illusory It should be remarked that the
German representative also voted for these de-
ciSons.
The negotiations at Geneva up to the present
have surpassed the most pessimistic expectations
All hopes of a fuifilment of the disarmament
promises made seven years ago have long since
been buried 1t was characteristic of the atti-
tude of the Geneva peace prophets that the
Danish Foreign Minister, Mr. Munich. could sub
nit memorandum from his government de-
handing the carrying out of disarmament in
several stages, between each of which there
should intervene period of five years. There
can be no doubt that the actual application Of
the above resolution of the League of Nations
more than justifes the demand of Denmark,
which was inspired by the big imperialist Powers.
THE Conference as such, l. e.. as body rep
control of the public should investigate and
solve the disarmament question, has long since
disappeared" reports the Geneva correspondent
Of the "Deu.schc Allgemeine Zeitung" AS
matt.r Of fact the most important questions Of
the Conference have been kept out Of the public
debates and discussed behind closed doors, where
they form the object of political bargaining be-
tween the inpertalist powers. At the same time
strong forces are at work in order to bring
about fresh postponernent of the negotiations.
Significant in this respect is article published
in the Paris 'Matin" of May H. suggesting a
postponement of the World Conference until
November, According to the 'Matin," the Gen.
eva Conference is lsading only shadow ex-
istence, 50 that merely long postponement
would suffice to bring this comedy of Con-
ference to a conclusion.-
The desire fer postponement of the World
Disarmament Conference is as Old as the Con-
ference itself. No delegate, however has the
courage to make such a proposal openly, be-
cause they are all hoping daily for an ending Of
their peace-comedy by the outbreak Of q new
world war.