Evening star., 1932-01-10
HOOVER KEPT BUSY
BY 3 BIC ISSUES
Far East and European Prob
lens and Domestic Distress
Divide Energies.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

President Hoover told Father Cox
leader of last weeks unemployed dem
onstration at Washington, that the eco
nomic situation in the United States
has his undivided attention" In SO
far as this indicates that the admins
tration is devotins unremitting care to
ways and means for fighting the depres-
sion, the Presidents statement is true.
As a matter of fact, there has seldom
been a time during Mr.. Hoover's whole
period in Office that he has had to di-
vide his energies so completely between
purely American affairs and develop
nents abroad. Three major situations
clamor for consideration-Man
the Reparations Conference at Lausanne
on January 18 and the Disarmament
Conference at Geneva on February 2.
1t is now clear why the President
and his Secretary Of State determined
that Col Stimson should remain at his
post in Washington, instead Of assum-
ing the Craftsmanship of the American
delegation at the Geneva Disarmament
Conference The State Department to-
day is like man trying to rivet his
gaze at one and the same time upon a
three-ring circus. It's task is all the
more difficult because momentous events
are transpiring in all three rings.
Attention in Far East.
Because Of the initiative this coun-
try has Just seized in the Manchurian
crisis, the Washington Government S
attention for the moment is concen-
trated upon developments in the Far
East The effects of Secretary Stim-
sons stern note to Japan and China
are not expected to manifest themselves
Immediately. The Japanese govern
ment, Just thrown into temporary chaos
by the resignation of Premier Inukai
consequent upon the bomb attack on
Emperor Hirohito, is confronted by the
American note with decisions which To-
kio will not take hastily. The six Eu-
ropean co-signatories Of the nine-power
pact, to which Secretary Stimson sub
n1itted the Japanese Chinese note, are
weighing the action they may feel
called upon to pursue under America s
lead 1t will probably be several days,
II not longer, before anything savoring
of Joint international action In the
Manchurian affair will ensue. Events
might move rapidly thenceforward. No
further steps by the United States are
in prospect, though there will be inces-
SAINT interchange Of views between
Secretary Stimson and the diplomatic
representatives Of Japan and China and
of the European nine-power pact coun-
tries, which are Great Britain, France,
italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and
Portugal
Elements at work both in Japan and
the United States for eight years to
improve relations embittered by enact
ment Of Americas japanese exclusion
law in 1924 view the situation now
arisen with dismay. 1t is acknowledged
on either side that the work of recon-
Ciliation on the immigration issue is
seriously slowed up by the Manchurian
episode. In Japan those groups, in
cluding the military party, which per-
sistently portray Uncle Sam as the re-
1entless enemy Of Japan, will find fresh
fuel for the fires Of hate in the Ameri-
can protest against the Manchurian
occupation. In this country propo-
nents Of the plan to place japanese on
the immigration quota basis are des-
tined to encounter opposition to that
proposal, which did not exist a few
months ago.
VIII Act on Debt Report.
The impending European conference
on reparationS and intergoverrmental
debts at Lausanne, scheduled to begin
on January IS, Is of the utmost in
terest to the United States, even though
we shall not be represented there by
so much as an unofficial observer. The
conference will act on the recent re-
port of the World Banks Committee of
Young plan advisers regarding Ger
manys capacity to continue reparation
payments. The committee found that
Germany is not able to maintain Young
plan annuities and that an extension
of the Hoover moratorium" after July
/, 1882, is virtually unavoidable. Ac-
tive negotiations are in progress be-
tween the British and French govern
ments looking to some method Of fac
ing the inevitable at Lausanne-for-
NAL acknowledgement that Germany
must have further relief-and at the
same time preserving the Young plan.
The French have always shied at wild
ening the leniency already shown to
Germany lest the Young plan be pro-
gressively weakened and eventually de-
stroyed
What will happen If the Lausanne
Conference allots the Germans another
moratorium and at the same time sig
mails Europe's unwillingness, during the
moratoriums term, to pay the United
States any war debt interest or install
nents is something Just now causing
grave heart-Searching at Washington.
With Congress on record against addi-
tional remission Of war debts, the Hoo
yer administrators hands are tied. The
President may maintain, as he stated
in his December message to Congress,
that this country cannot blind itself
to obvious facts" or to the necessity Of
further temporary adjustments" But
House and Senate having set their faces
like flint against new concessions to
our European debtors, nothing but q
deadlock is in sight if the latter grant
Germany a fresh period Of grace and
demand as much from the United States,
even II 1t has to be taken in the form
OF default on their payments. From
every angle, the situation is ticklish for
Washington, and the outcome is wholly
nnpredictable.
VIII Exert Quiet Influence.
President Hoover and Secretary Stim-
Bon await the Geneva Disarmament
Conference with relative equanimity,
compared to the disagreeable posi-
bilitieS Of the Manchurian and repara-
tion problems. Secretary Stimson told
the House Foreign Affairs Committee
bast week that this Government will
exert its quiet influence" toward in
ducing the world powers at Geneva to
take those energetic steps" necessary
for any sort Of progress in armament
reduction. The administration wants
Ehe American public to follow proceed
Hill ~