Evening star., 1932-01-17
EUROPEANS SKEPTICAL
ON ARMS CONFERENCE
U. S. Champions of Farley Fail to
Realize Breakdown at Geneva Will
Only Aid Armaments.

, ening beyond their frontiers OF course
this Is not true of the nations which
were forcibly disarmed by the peace
treaties, but these nations are appear
ing at Geneva to protest bcc0 use OF the
disproportion between their armies and
those Of their victorious neighbors.
U. S. viii Get Some Support
The French. Polish, Czech. Yugoslav
and Rumanian peoples support their
present military establishments by re-
tanning their present government, be-
cause they believe that without these
armies they would be invaded and par
titioned. And in the past half century
all these countries have been parti-
toned.
Now success or failure in Geneva
| turns precisely on the ability of the
United States delegates to convert the
statesmen of France and her allies to
the American thesis that disarmament
is the safest form Of security,
although they must be severely
! handicapped on the one side by the
treaty revision purposes of the defeated
nations of the World War and on the
other by the. contemporary Manchurian
! practices of the japanese.
OF course the United States delegates
will be materially encouraged by the
support Of the Germans, the Austrians,
the Hungarians, the Bulgarians and the
Italians. But this support will also be
little compromising because 1t Is
plain that, since all these powers have
already had their armies forcibly re-
duced by the peace treaties, every re-
duction of the military forces OF their
conquerors gives them better chance
in any new conflict. Even if one ac-
quits the Germans and their former al
lies of any present belligerent purpose,
| it is plain that If later they changed
| their mood their situation would be
greatly improved If meantime French,
Polish and Little Entente armies had
been reduced. And the French, seeing
American delegates supported by Gen.
tral European, will inevitably II un-
charitably conclude that we are chang
| ing sides, that we have gone over to the
enemy and deserted our former allies
Now to go back to the point at which
I started, the reason all Europeans are
skeptical and cynical about the Dis
armament Conference is shat they
know as matter of fact and expe-
rience that no nation is going to make
any effective modification in present
military strength save as there is a
previous change in the political situa-
| ton or compenSating acquisition OF
security by other means. And every
European also perceives that at the
present moment the circumstances in
Europe are such that political dangers
are increasing, not diminishing, and
conditions in America preclude any ex-
tensions of American liabilities In
Europe.
There is vast and vocal popula-
tion in the United States which has
| an almost fanatical belief In interna-
| tional conferences and q similar pas
sionate devotion to the cause Of dis
armament. That population regards
disarmament as a moral, not politi-
| cal, issue and see an American dele
| cation departing rather as missionaries
upon an evangelical undertaking than
as diplomats to political conclaye.
/ That population believes that any con-
| ference is better than none and some
! good, however small, must result. It
has curious faith in the existence in
European countries of a similarly con-
| siderable group animated by the same
sentiments. 1t trusts in the existence
| of world opinion which will somehow
be modified.
British Want Postponement.
| Now in the matter of international
conferences the European is far more
experienced and sophisticated. He
knows that delegates to international
| conferences are never converted by
| their associates to the surrender of the
| policies and convictions OF their fellow
| eountrymen by moral arguments, how
ever impressive, or alien idealiSm, how
ever eloquent. They know that q
French delegate who accepted Ameri-
can proposals about disarmament would
be welcomed at home precisely in the
manner that an American delegate who
| adopted French views of debt cancella-
tion would be hailed in Congress.
Again, the European publcs know
that no success can be achieved at any
| international conference save as there
have been political agreements in ad-
vance. And they are aware that not
the smallest political agreement has
been made in advance of the present
meeting. On the contrary, Europeans
are aware that French, German, Italian,
Polish political policies are at an eX-
treme point of irreconcilability and ma
tionalistic passions in all countries are
in condition of violent exacerbation.
They perceive. also, the fact, so far
| hidden from American friends of dis
armament and conference, that today
| it is the nations opposed to all reduc-
tion, namely, France and her allies,
who are actually pressing for the
Geheva meeting
The British, who year ago were
keen and irlsistent, have now made
IIlelr DeSC euOrC TO insure postpone
ment. The friends of the League, the
secretariat resident in Geneva, are most
apprehensive, because they perceive
the further disaster bound to overtake
| the League if to failure in Manchuria
there is added futility in the disarma-
ment sessions. But France and her
allies are clearly aware that if the con-
ference is forced on noW in the pres
ent state of European tempers the
| whole cause of arms reduction or limi-
tation may be set back indefinitely, or,
as the French would say, until the
prior issue of security is disposed of.
What is we'll nigh tragic in the situ-
alton is the fact, perceived so clearly
among the League and pacifist cir
| eles in Europe, and still ignored by the
many thousands of sincere champions
of international cooperation in this
country. that they are being led into an
international conference not only fore
doomed to failure, but destined to sup
ply their opponents with position and
ammunition which will be effectively
| exploited in the future. In Europe 1t
Is the friends of international peace
who are fearful, but in the United
States, even yet, it is in similar circles
that the Geneva Conference still finds
champions. On the present showing
it is as an armament not as a dis
armament, conference that Geneva in
vites realistic approval in the armed
countries of the Continent.