Evening star., 1932-10-27
Hoover Warning BuIwarked
by Americas Superiority
in Finances.
FOUR REDUCTION PLANS
ADVANCED BY NATIONS
White House and Baldwin Propo-
sails Augmented by Paris
and Toxic Schemes.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN

On the eve of the opening Of i'm
portant negotiations between Norman
Davis and Premier Edouard Herriot on
the question of reduction of ornaments.
President Hoover found it necessary to
take advantage of the Navy day cele-
bratlons and issue last night a solemn
warning to the world powers that un-
less something constructive was reached
on the subject of disarmament Amer
lea will be forced to build up TO the
strength to which she is entitled under
the London naval agreement of 1880.
In spite of the depression and the
budgetary deficit, it is known abroad
that the United States, if compelled by
the trend Of events, can better than any
other nation in the world build a
powerful navy and air force
President Hoover, who is as anxious
as ever to see drastic cuts in arma-
ments, found it necessary to issue this
polite notice to the other powers be-
cause Of the grave dangers which
threaten the reduction of arms confer
ence.
Four Plans Drafted.
Last Summer, when the conference
was almost on the rocks, the President
made an effort to save it by his one
third slash. proposal The move was
spectacular, took the fancy of many
pacifiSts all over the world, but had
only luke-Warm reception from the
interested governments. They all ad-
mired Mr.. Hoovers broad vision and
paciflst intentions, but they thought
that he had gone further than they in
tended and asked for time to study his
proposals. On that plea the reduction
of arms conference adjourned Ever
since. the Hoover plan has been di-
gested, corrected, improved Ito suit local
requirements of different nations" with
the result that at present there are no
less than four plans for progressive dis
armament
The first one is still Mr. Hoover's
proposal which the American delegates
are prepared to discuss at Geneva with
the necessary amendments as proposed
by other nations, but still on condition
| that these amendments do not kill the
basic idea of actual disarmament within
our time"
The second proposal is the British.
interested in land armies as the United
States That is 10 say that it desires a
drastic cut of all armies, because Great
Britain, like the United States, has cut
it's territorial forces to the bone. ANY
reduction of land forces would apply TO
the continental power and is bound TO
influence the political situation in Eu-
rope But the British government does
not quite see eye to eye with the Amer
ican Government regarding naval re-
ductions.
United States Navy Ranks Third.
The American Government has not al
lowed the Navy to build up to treaty
strength. while Great Britain, Japan.
Italy and France have been following an
intense building program. This situa-
/ ton has brought the American Navy as
| far as actual combat strength is con-
| cerned, to the third rank as power,
with France and Italy as close fourth.
| The President instructed the. American
delegates in Europe to discuss the ques-
| ton of naval reduction with Great Brit
ain from a very broad point of view on
/ the understanding that whatever agree
ment may be reached should be inforced
at once; that is to say that the reduc-
tions which may be agreed upon should
become effective Immediately. The Brit
| ish government, however. has made in
teresting proposals which will become
effective only in 1926.
The British are proposing a reduce
tion of the size of battleShips. Since
there will be no new battleship con-
struction until 1886. even if America
approved of that plan, the saving will
not become effective until that date.
This does not suit the American Gov
ernmept. The British propose the re-
duction of the size of airplane carriers
and the reduction of the caliber of guns
on all warships. This again cannot be
applied until at a later date Conse-
quently, in the naval discussions, the
American and the British points of view
are still far apart The British further
maintain that any reduction in the
strength of their navy must be subject
to what France and Italy are doing.
Both these countries have not joined
the London naval agreement, and the
British admiralty's point of view is that
since Great Britain must maintain the
two-power standard in the Mediterran-
can britain must have navy equal to
the combined Italian-French forces)
there can be no reduction in Britains
naval strength until those two powers
come to an agreement to limit their
building program. Norman Davis in
| Continued on Page 2, Column D.