Evening star., 1932-07-27
TWO|SSUESHOED:
! EUROPE'S INTEREST
italian Parity With France
and German Arms Plea
Talked Secretly. 81
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

ClD0l european CndnCeuDfS WHICH art
preparing the ground for further dis
armament discussions during the recess
Of the Geneva Conference,
These questions are: ID The naval
problem among the five signatories CT
the Londcn naval treaty, especially the
problem OF parity between Italy and
France. (2) the question of equality in
arms between France and Germany.
For the time being the American dele
gates are holodng7 themselves in the
background the British premier, RAM
say Macdonald, sct:ags as friendly
adviser to both groups of powers.
According to reports received from
Europe, it appears that the" interested
leaders are making strenuous efforts
to reach some kind of an agreement:
The conversations are being carried on
in, secret: that is to- say, only those
directly interested know what is going
on. the press and the public being
kept in ignorance. This system OF
secret diplomacy is deemed essential
at. this stage OF the dlscusslons' s,. o-
proved that when military ano naval
problems are discussed In public ma
tional pride and racial hatred prevent
constructive agreements.
IL Germany Seeks Change.
The nzcst important conversations
are reported between the German OPP
Iomatsc and, the French government
regarding land arnaments.
Forc reasons of Internal pohtics aain
fer internal police reasons Germany Is
asking France and the other slgnstoIies
of the Versailles treaty to aoohsn tne
,oroi1ibitions Imposed upon the Reich,
whereby. Germany is not allowed 10
have tanks, heavy, artillery, military
aviation and a. conscript army. ms
rrobler1 of Germany's equality in arIna-
1ner1ts has been one OF the prlnclpal
reason why the Geneva conference mas
moi been able to achieve anything con-
structive this year: -
Germany. unable to have the'same type
ofsarms as France or any OF the oonef
nations which have emerged victorious
after the World War, demanaeo Sne
treaty. which uFovides for all nations
to. .re6uceA their armamertS.
germany has asked the powers; at
Geneva to retIlce their armies to the
German level although her spokesmen
reelize the iTnpracticability7 81 such q
demand But she insisted that since
the restrictions imposed upon her Wer.,
not removed. the others shou1d respect
the disarmament clauses OF the Ver-
and some other minor states, denanaed
the abolition of tanks, heavy guns, sub
marines, battleshipS over a. certain ton
nzge, and military aviation.
Stand. Is Made Clear.
None of the powers gathered at
Geneva wanted such abolftiouS, al
Though they all pFofessed to be anxious
TO reduce substantially their present
military expenditure
During the Lausanne and Geneva
conferences the German representatives
Franz vonn Papen and Baron Konstan-
tin Won Neurath, discussed this prob
lem with Premier HeFriot Of France
and his aide, Paul-Boncour.
The Germans, made it clear that
what Germany. wanted was the right
10 have a comparatively small number
of the prohibited war engines. such as
that they needed these weapons first
OF all. to satisfy Gernaany'ss national
pride. The Germans feel Inundated
when they have to use cardboard tanks
In their laaGeuveEs, as has been the
case heretofore. They also say that
light tanks are necessary as police
weapons, and brought out the fact that
they could have been used successfully
in several instances during riots in
Germany, when the government was
Handicapped by the fact that It did
not have them
The Germans explained to- Herriot
that permitting Germany to build a.
small number Of tanks would not in
any way endanger Frances security,
sands OF such weapons to the few doz-
ems the Germans might build. But the
important thing will be that Germany,
no longer having an excuse 10 ask for
conIplete abolition Of all the weapons
she is prohibtted from manufacturing
by the Versailles treaty. viii no longer
clamor for complete abolition OF these
engines She would be able to join the
other participants at the Geneva Com
ference in advocating constructive re-
drctions instead Of a complete aboh-
tica of these war instruments she does
nct possess at present.
This attitude of Germany. 1t was
said. will undoubtedly be followed by
other nations which synpathize with
Germany, and the path for substantial
reduction next January will be
smoother than it was during the last
five months.
Dissatisfied with Army.
Germany also is dissatisfied with the
Cenary army, instead of having national
conseription. The Germans say that
they are unable to enlist in the Reiehs-
wehr the 100000 men they are entitled
under the Versailles Treaty. Further
more. they say that permission for
Germany to have a. conserfpt army
would do away with the irregular and
secret German reserves, represented to-
day by the Hitler forces. the Stahlheim
and other alleged athletic organizations
If Germany were permitted to have a
conscTipt army, limited as far as efdee-
atiyes are concerned by treaty along
1.-THE lines of the Hoover proposal, these
ssocieties would immediately be dissolved
f2nd number of men, as provided in a
treaty would be incorporated IN the
German reserves.
It is at the present time unknown
how far the French are willing to go
In the acceptance of the German
claims, but it Is understood that the
present French government is not alto
getheE opposed to permitting Ger
many a certain amount Of armaments
heretofore prohibited by the versailles
treaty.
The Franco Italian naval problem
has been worrying Great Britain and
: the United States for more than two
years. Italy maintains that she must
have parity with France, If only on
paper, while France refuses to accept
this point of view. In May. 1881. the
two countries almost reached an agree
ment; this was upset at the eleventh
hour by France raising the question OF
certain replacements of old ships which
Italy refused to accept.
Tariff Union Blamed.
It Was Ielieved- in well-infoimed cir
cles at that stSle that France raised
the question of some $4,000 tons, not
because she wanted them bat. because
she suspected Italy of being favorable
to the. Austro-GeFman- tariff union.
which had been sprung on the world
as a sensational surprise only two