Evening star., 1932-10-15
Refusal Regarded as Lessen.
ing Prospects of Early
Four-PoWer Meeting.
BRUENING- -OWNED PAPER
is SUPPORTING CABINET
City Declared charged at Outset
With Francophile and League
Influences"
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
BERLIN. October 15.-Germany re-
jected today the plan for four-power
conference on her demand for arms
equality which, as agreed to by Premier
Herriot Of France and Prime Minister
Macdonald of Great Britain at London,
called for a meeting at Geneva.
The German governments objection.
Foreign Minister Won Neurath told the
cabinet last night, was to the place
selected 1t vas also learned unofh-
cially that Lausanne, Switzerland. near
Geneva, would also be unacceptable to
Germany as a place for the conference.
Because Of this refusal, prospect for
"a disarmament conference materializ-
ing soon" was looked upon by officials
here as still further lessened. Germany
would be willing to go to London, un-
doubtedly, for she accepted London
when the four-power conference orig
inally was proposed by Great Britain,
but France would not agree to holding
it there.
The Catholic newspaper Germania,
organ of former Chancellor Helnrlch
Bruening, supported the cabinet in its
refusal.
1T is an impossible presumption it
said. Ito invite Germany to place
charged at the outset with Francophlle
and League of Nations influences"
Official quarters said Germany took
the position she might find herself
pushed through the back door into
the Disarmament Conference" before
the point Of her equality was settled.
"A French Maneuver."
A government communique reiterated
the German contention that since the
proposed meeting is in the nature of a
preliminary parley the attempt by
France to fit it into the framework of
the League of Nations is contrary to
common sense" and plainly a French
maneuver to get Germany back to the
conference table at Geneva"
This. said the communique, is unac-
ceptable 80 long as the German claim TO
arms equality is not granted. This new
invitation to Geneva cannot but be
felt as a humiliation" in Germany. the
statement said, adding that speech
yesterday by Rene Massigli, in an Arms
az 1tAe -
shows plainly which way the wind is
blowing"
M. Massigli asserted that the German
security police must be taken into ac-
count as well as the German standing
army in reckoning Germanys effective
armed forces. 1t also was reported that
he had submitted documents to support
the French charge that GERMANY is
violating the Versailles Treaty restric-
tions on her arms.
Report Criticized.
Todays communique also criticized a
report that the arms conference would
not decide until its deliberations are
completed whether the agreements
reached would apply to Germany. This
would indicate said the statement, that
France expects us to cooperate in the
disarmament negotiations without know
ing where we stand But Germany can
wait. Our standpoint has been made
very clear"
The statement added I'VE have no
objection against participation by the
League Of Nations or by other powers
so long as the others are not exclusively
the allies of France. But under those
circumstances the parleys would assume
an entirely different character. The
powers should have laid down methods
Of negotiation before this. but prob
ably because France realized the sit
uation she insisted no further"