Evening star., 1932-04-28
ST|MSON'S FAILURE
SEEN FARREACH|NG
Futile Efforts to Have Tar.
dieu Meet Bruening Believed
Back of Plan to Return.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

Secretary Stimson has ordered his
trunks packed and his passage back
home booked with the same sudden
ness that marked his decision TO leave
the United States for Europe early this
month.
In official quarters 1t is explained
that the Secretary's presence at Geneva
was no longer required because the
League had decided to adjourn until
after the French elections.
The actual fact is that the Secretary,
| who had leased country home near
Geneva until May IA, intended to stay
as long as possible close 10 the League
hoping to achieve at least some minor
results in connection with the limita-
ton of arms conference and the solu-
| tion of other international problems
which render the world situation today
so precarious.
Premier Andre Tardieu has sadly
disappointed Mr. Stimson. The French
premier's luke warm attitude towards
Mr.. Stimson's ideas led the Secretary
of State to the conviction that his
presence in Europe was useless, if not
! harmful to Americas prestige.
Found Reports Exaggerated.
What happened is this. The Secre-
IdAy WCllI W 1SllCfd convinced LldL MS
presence there at this moment would
facilitate some kind of a political agree
ment among nations. On arriving in
Paris and then at Geneva he found
that certain reports on which he had
decided to make his trip abroad had
been slightly exaggerated and that the
European nations, and especially France,
were not willing to sign anything vet
without America contributing something
more than good will and suggestions.
He also became convinced that the key
to Europe'S troubles was the Franco
German misunderstanding.
Supported by Britain's idealistic pre-
mier, Ramsay Macdonald. and to a
certain extent by 1taly's foreign secre-
tary, Dino Grand, he endeaVored to
lay the foundations of a German
French rapprochment To do this it
was necessary to bring Herr Bruening
and M. Tardieu together.
A meeting between the two men at
Mr.. Stimsons villa in the presence of
Mr.. Stimson and Ramsay Macdonald
was arranged for last Tuesday. At the
last minute, however, Tardieu tele-
phoned from Paris that on account of
the electoral campaign he will not be
able to keep his appointment at Geneva.
Stlmson and Macdonald got busy and
al 70 llC Ills uLIlOSJ 10 al
tend meeting on Friday.
Diplomatic" Illness.
Tardieu promised to come. Yester-
day, however. he announced that on
account of illness he will not be able
to keep that appointment either. Mr..
Stimson hurriedly got on the phone
to Paris and personally urged the
French premier to come to Geneva. 1t
appeared for short while that Tardieu
would yield. At the last moment, how
ever. he announced that he did not feel
well enough to make that IL hours
trip and regretfully stated that he could
not come to attend the planned meeting.
Although Tardieu postponed his cleo
toral speeches in order to show that
he was really indisposed, in many quar-
ters here as well as at Geneva it Is
believed that the French premier's in
disposition Is the usual diplomatic"
getaway.
In any case, Mr.. Stimson realized the
futility of his further stay in Europe.
packed his bags and is returning to
Washington, disappointed because of the
failure of his plans, but richer in ex-
perience
After his Geneva experience he is not
likely to offer his services as an ennis
sary of goodwill to Europe.
Will Not End in Row.
The experts and the diplomats at
Geneva are continuing their work On
the limitation of arms conference This
conference appears in the eyes of OBJ
servers more doomed to failure now
than ever before. 1t is fully expected,
however, that the conference will not
break up in a row. The diplomats are
reported to have found what is gener-
ally termed in case of a failure as an
elegant solution" which would satisfy
everybody including those who are
thinking in terms of face saving. The
idea is this. Secretary Stimson sug-
gester to the League new disarmament
theory, that of qualitative disarmament.
Consequently is is suggested that the
conference adopt resolution accepting
the doctrine of qualitative disarmament
based on each nations specific internal
and external requirements The work.
ing of the details of this doctrine is,
however, so complicated that a post
ponement Of the conference for a Ger
tain period to give time to the various
interested nations to study this prob
lem at their leisure will be necessary
and the probabilities are that nothing
further will be heard of limitation Of
arms for quite little while.
The consequences Of the failure of
the five leading statesmen to come to
2