Evening star., 1932-07-17
ADJOURNMENT AT GENEVA
DEMONSTRATES FAILURE
Continuance of Conference Since March
Has Been Merely to Satisfy u. S.
Delegations Demands.

slovakia-stood by French proposals.
Soviet Russia was usually In agree
ment with Germany and Italy when
that agreement promised to make
trouble.
The British had particularly rough
road to follow because their major
concern was not disarmament, but
reparationS, and their chief problem
was to prevent the development IN
Geneva of a Franco-German clash,
which would bar the road to any agree
ment at Lausanne. And the various
American proposals rendered their task
doubly difficult, because all OF these
were similarly repugnant to the French.
But always for reasons of high pollcy,
which means debts. they were Obliged
to avoid any opposition to the Amer
ican program.
AS for the japanese, they were sullen
in their attitude. resentful of the whole
American attempt to interfere with
their Far Eastern activities. AS usual
they were supremely skillful in avoid
ing showing their hand save at the
right moment. If the Hoover pro-
posal had ever got beyond the purely
formal stage they would have opposed
it. but so would almost all OF the
armed powers represented in the con-
ference with the exception of Italy.
And for Italy the Hoover proposal rep
resented an enormous advantage, since
it reduced the regular French army
without affecting the irregular FASCIST
militia.
"Long-Range Bombardment."
Broadly speaking, the Geneva Con-
ference never got to the real discussion
of disarmament because it was unable
to clear away the barbedWire entangle-
ments before the various fortified posi-
tions. 1t was mainly long-range
bonnbardment and the Hoover discharge
from Washington recalled the Big
Bertha bombardment of Paris, which
was enormously spectacular, but not
very productive of results.
Recalling that the conference lived
through a French cabinet crisis,
German presidential election, PruS-
sian election. a French election, and
the fall of German regime, 1t Is
perhaps not surprising that its success
was limited to bugs and chemistry.
Tardieu and Bruening. who danced in
the first sets. gave way to Herriot
and Papen, a right government in
France faced republican cabinet in
Germany, and now a radical govern
ment in France faces a reactionary
cabinet in the Reich. And back of all
else is an American presidential elec-
ton lust over the horizon.
Since statesmen are only human and
have to think of political conSidera
tionS into the bargain. it would be odd
if much of what was said at Geneva
had not been directed at the celebrates
and parliaments at home There
again the American proposals were an,
noying, because they invariably played
into the hands Of the domestic opposi-
tion, into the hands of the Socialists
in Paris and the Laborites in London.
But at the same time they were equally
welcome to the Fascists in Rome, who
have no domestic opposition and could
use Mr.. Hoover'S words as a club for
their French rivals.
If Europe is in a better frame of
mind in the Fall, something more may
be accomplished. A disarmament con-
ference is always only place where
the state of health of Europe or of the
world is registered by the spirit dis
closed. The results are only the evil
dence of the feeling of the moment.
The world was in a bad mood when
the disarmament conference met, Eu-
rope was il sorry disarray The re-
suit was eloquence and emptiness, an
ether unsuccessful conference, another
adjournment camoufaged by a new at
tempt to dress up the insignificant
achievements into the appearance of a
real triumph And the final result of
all conferences, the plan to hold an
other.
(Copyright, 1927