Evening star., 1932-04-12
Geneva Comes to Life.

Geneva is itself again. The Dis
armament Conference reassembled yes
terday after q three wees rece5s. The
opening session was marked by an ap-
peal from the United States for prompt
action along concrete lines, The Amer
lean program to that end proposes
broadly the banning of offensive war
fare through abolition of tanks, heavy
mobile artillery and poison gas.
Ambassador Gibson presented the
thesis that country can no longer put
its faith in frontier Notifications and
other purely defensive preparations as
a safeguard against invasion because
certain new weapons" have wiped out
their usefulness. The United States
would see these weapons-mainly tanks
long range artillery and poison gas
done away with, and warfare, as far as
humanity possible, confined to defensive
measures
Great Britain, Germany and Italy
expressed approval Of the American
program. but French Premier Tardieu
branded it as insufficient in scope"
1t was criticized as lacking strong
sanctions to prevent war and falling to
take into consideration the ''interde-
pendence of arms" M. Tardieu, evil
IDENTIFY still cherishes hopes that his
chimericaI scheme for a superLeague
of Nations with an army, navy and air
force of its own to fling against an ag-
gressor still has chances of adoption
at Geneva Only France and her
satellites in Central Europe can pos
sibly have any illusions on that score.
With the United States and Russia out
of the League, the French project was
doomed in advance TO impracticability
and unacceptability.
Negotiations at Geneva outside the
conference hall outrun in significance
the discussion even of such definite
plans as America has again put forward
in the interest of conference results.
These negotiations revolve around the
European political problems which are
inseparably fundamental to any agree
ment on armaments. They concern
primarily Franco German questions.
Resumption of the Geneva proceedings
finds the German demand for equal
fly" and French insistence upon
security" unreconciled and apparently
irreconeilable.
But some categorical solutions are
in the Alpine air. One suggestion is
that the Germans might be granted
the judicial" right to equality Of
ornaments. under assurances that this
recognition would not lead to equality
in fact. The French hold a strong
card in their actual military supremacy.
The Germans have a trump in their
superiority in civil aircraft. A German
acceptance of the French proposal for
internationalizing civil aviation might
be traded for a French concession of
Germany's legal right to equal arma-
ments. The German concessions would
please France by eliminating the threat
of German air power, thus increasing
French security. French acknowledge
ment of Germany's privilege to enjoy
at least theoretical equality Of arma-
ments would go far to appease German
national!stic sentiment.
1t is definitely healthy sign that
practical, tangible things of this caliber
are under debate at Geneva. Until
disarmament is tackled from such a
standpoint-a standpoint which bluntly
recognizes the impossibility of peace or
security in Europe until basic political
controversies are eradicated-Geneva
is doomed to pass into history as one
more international farce. but a farce
with tragic aspect