Evening star., 1932-09-19
j. s. IN SYMPATHY
WITH BRITISH NOTE
State Department Morally
Behind Opposition to Reich
Arms Demand.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

Inasmuch as the British note to Ger
many, stern as 1t is, has the primary
object of promoting the disarmament
idea, the State Department is in full
sympathy with its contents and aims.
Whatever unofficial part the United
States Government has played in the
present Franco-German controversy 1t
has done so with the sole object of
preventing a complete breakdown OF
the limitation of arms conference
machinery. The American Government
is not directly interested in the Yer
sailles treaty. and does not care whether
it Is changed or not, provided that such
q change is made by common under
standing between the contracting parties.
But since such change cannot take
place at the present moment without
violently shaking the peace foundations
of Europe. the American Government
would prefer to have this question lett
in abeyance under such times, when
the political situation would permit
the reopening of the question OF
the modification OF that treaty without
harm to the general peace of the world
But the American Government is vital
ly interested in the question OF arma-
ment reduction, and has frowned upon
the intransigent attitude of the Won
Papen administration because 1t en-
dangered any further progress at the
coming arms parleys at Geneva.
Splendid Diplomatic Move.
Because the administration could
make its viewpoint known in Paris and
Berlin only IN an unofficial manner, and
the German government appeared to be
under the impression that Great Brit
ain would maintain a neutral attitude
in the Franco-German controversy. the
frank and unequivocal note of the Brit
ish government to Berlin is considered
here as a splendid diplomatic move.
1t is believed in well informed quar-
ters in Washington that If anything at
all could have saved the Disarmament
Conference it was this outSpoken note
of the British government.
While it is realized that the German
government, for reasons OF home poll
tics, will not yield easily, it is the opin
ion of responsible officials in Wash
ington that within short time the at
titude of the Won Papen government
will become less adamant.
The prospects of Germany participat-
ing at the preliminary Geneva meeting
of next week are still remote. But it IS
considered possibility that some high
ranking German cabinet officer may
q
to discuss with representatives of Great
Britain, France and the United States
the best means to re-enter the limita-
tions of arms pourparlers by the back
door.
The only fault which is found in
Washington with the British note is
that it stresses too much the legal as
pect of the German claim for arms
equality.
Practically for Success.
All the previous political and eco
nomic conferences have shown that the
only way to achieve a certain degree Of
success is to treat matters from the
practical angle, of what can be done
under certain circumstances, and not
lay too much stress on the rigid legal
provision of a treaty. 1t is in that
spirit that the American Government
believes that the limitation of arms con-
ference can achieve a certain degree Of
success.
AS a matter of fact, it had been
agreed among the delegates of the arms
conference last Summer that Germany
would be to a certain extent released
from the stringent clauses of the YER
sailles treaty if all the nations repre-
Sented at Geneva agreed upon a certain
amount of limitation of arms. The
new pact, which it is still hoped will
be signed in the course of the next
Winter, would have included Germany
and would have satisfied many of her
claims which she had brought forward
during the negotiations. But any inter
national agreement dealing with reduc-
tion of arms could not include a pro-
/ vision giving any nation the right to
begin new armament race by being
allowed to increase her armaments 1t
is only because Germany demands ROW
the right to rearm and not because she
wants the other nations to live up to
the provisions of the Versailles treaty
to reduce their ornaments that the
United States is morally on the side OF
Great Britain and France today.