Evening star., 1932-01-30
CHINA FIRST ISSUE
At ARMS PARLEY
Concurrent Conference o.
Nine Powers at Geneva
RumOred.
BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.

By Cable to The Star.
GENEVA, Switzerland, January 30
The Manchurian crisis promises to
dominate almost entirely the opening
days of the General Disarmament Con-
ference convening next Tuesday.
Nest of the American delegation to
the disarmament parley arrived last
night Hugh S. Gibson, American AM
baSsador to Belgium and disarmament
expert, temporarily head of the group
in the absence Of Secretary of State
Henry L. Stimson, arrives Monday.
Today several of the Americans are
attending the Manchurian meetings of
the League of Nations Council as spec
tators, notably Senator Claude A. Swan
son Of Virginia and Norman Davis.
They are all the more interested as
TUmOrS are afoot that a nine-poWer
conference under the China treaty may
be held here on the side in the near
future, utilizing the diplomats from the
disarmament delegations Thus the
United States might be represented by
MeSSrS. Gibson, Swanson and Davis.
Nine-Power Farley Suggested.
The United States efforts at CO.
operation with the League thus far
have not been entirely satisfactory
either on the Leagues or on the Amer
lean side it is said, and in any case the
state of American opinion is described
as such that there is little likelihood
of Americas attempting to renew this
cooperation Just now
Yet Chinese affairs are an interna-
tiOnal problem and must inevitably be
dealt with internationally. Diplomatic
exchanges without personal contacts
have been found frequently to lead to
misunderstanding The League Coun-
Gil. now that it is obliged to deal with
the Sino-Japanese quarrel under Ar
tiCle XIV of the covenant, will doubt
less be sitting almost permanently
throughout the Disarmament Confer
enCe.
For all Of these reasons it is Sug-
geSted in several quarters that a nine
power conference also sitting here would
effectively solve the intricate problem
of llalSOn between the League of Ma
tionS and the United States. The Chi
neSe seem to be decidedly of this mind,
and they themselves may possibly take
the initiative for such a conference,
which, it is now no secret, was dis
Cussed at length by Gen. Charles G..
Dawes and DR.. Alfred SEE, China's for
mer delegate, when the former Am
baSSadOr to London observed the League
COuncllS December sessions in Paris
For the present the League seems to
intend to limit its action to the rapid
formation of commission in Shang-
hal composed of local diplomats which
will inform the Council by cable CT the
true situation. Only after this infor-
nation has been received and the
Chinese and japanese have presented
their respective cases in writing will
the Council get down to the heavy re-
I'LL H..
binding decision, with the whole ques-
ton of sanctions in the background.
Sato Speech Lacks Firmness.
Representations in Toxic about the
Shanghai situation by Great Britain
and the United States. perhaps fol-
lowed by France, Italy and others, to-
gether with the certainty that the
Council will continue its sitting. the
possibility Cf a nine-pOWer conference
and the fact that the United States
and Great Britain, despite certain
divergences, are still working together,
seem to have shaken the Japanese
somewhat for the first time since the
October session of the Council.
japanese Delegate NaOtake Sato'S
speech late yesterday minimizing Japan'S
action in Shanghai, raising juridiCal
oDJeGI4OI4S W p4OCeOuIe uIICeI AIIlC4c AN
and vaguely threatening first China and
then the other powers, did not give the
impression Of firmneSs.
The League, it is said, has now an
excellent opportunity to regain its lost
prestige and to create a better atmoS-
phere for the Disarmament Confer
enCe, but whether the Council members
will seize this opportunity is doubtful.
The tendency is still to put the entire
problem up to the great naval powers"
Great Britain and the United States,
which two nations alone. it is declared,
are in position to take effective action
in case the worst comes to the worst
(COnYright 1922