Evening star., 1932-09-21
America and German Arms.

President Hoover has made an urgent
appeal to Germany not to sabotage the
Geneva Arms Conference. 1t is not ad-
dressed directly to the Reich, being
merely in the form of White House
statement at Washington, but the erect
will not be lost on the Reich and the
Berlin government because of that cir
cumstance. Germany now knows, in
the Presidents words, that the United
States expects her to lend her aid in
the great purpose" for which Mr..
Hoover emissions "such promise OF
progress for the entire world"
The White House communique does
not specifically concern itself with the
arms equality issue raised by Germany,
nor with the stern rebuff that PROPOSE
ton has encountered at the hands OF
Great Britain and France. 1nferen-
italy the United States, through Presi-
dent Hoover'S utterance, does align
itself against Germany's demands, be-
cause these were presented in the form
of an ultimatum equality
or withdrawal from continued disarma-
ment negotiations at Geneva. The
United States leaves the Germans in no
doubt of this country's disapproval OF
their determination to have their way,
or, like the pouting little girl in the
story of the party. take their dolls
and go home.
President Hoover emphasizes that
sthe sole question in which the United
States is interested is in reducing arm
amentS of the whole world step by
step" If the Germans proceed, in de-
flance of treaty obligations, to expand
their military establishment, the step
by step" they would thus take would
be steps backward from, not forward
to, the goal of disarmament. The
progress toward that objective is Ia
borious enough. The endless debates
at Geneva, which stretched over six
weary months, are to be resumed today
by a conference committee on which
the American Minister to Switzerland,
Hugh R. Wilson, will sit
The American people have no occa-
sion to throw up their hats in enthusi-
asm over the fragmentary achievements
of Geneva thus far. But hope springs
eternal in their idealistic breasts. They
do not wish such fiber and substance
as it may still have to be warped pre-
maturely by the brusque proposals OF
Germany to wreck the conference un-
less she can have her way on arms
equality without further ado. There
is much to be said in favor of her de-
sires. But she is going the wrong way
about to crafty them.
Mr.. Hoover makes one allusion which
Is open to varying constructions. He
saws that I'VE are not a party to the
Versailles treaty and it's limitation on
German arms. That is solely a Euro
pean question" In our own separate
peace treaty with Germany it is def
nitely set forth that "the United States
shall have and enjoy" certain rights
and advantages stipulated" in the YER
sailles treaty. Among them are the
rights and advantages" defined IN
Part V, the clause imposing arms
limitation upon Germany.
This country has not quite the same
interest in keeping Germany weak IN
a military sense that, say, France and
Poland have. Apparently that is the
technical point the President means to
make. But it is evident that the United
States by treaty with Germany also
possesses rights and advantages
which cannot be abrogated unilaterally
by the Berlin government. 1t is well
that Germany should be reminded of
that fact.