Evening star., 1933-05-28
BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.

Stol1 hoNhER
- ENEVA.-How far alcng is tht
Disarmament Conference? JUS
T what is it actually doing? L
~ there any chance of success;
If so, how soon?
The exact present situation may b<
described briefly as follows:
The conference in the last year anc
q half has made real progress. This
able to take the initiative In trying tc
embody a compromise solution on al
points in an actual treaty text. This
British draft has been adopted by the
conference as its basis of discussion
The first reading of this draft before
the general commission has begun and
is progressing at the rapid rate of two
sessions a day.
The aim of Arthur Henderson, pres
ident of the conference, who is ardent
ly supported in this by the American
delegation, is to finish the first read
ing and register some measure of gen.
eral agreement by June 10, after which
date IL is expected that the attention
of the governments will be concentrated
on the World Economic Conference in
London.
Time Too Short.
This aim seems illusory. The time
Is too short. Tremendous difficulties
remain. Even If by sudden sensa-
tional meeting of Italian Premier
Benito Mussolini and German Chancel-
lor Adolf Hitler with French Premier
Edouard Daladier, British Prime Min
lister Ramsay Macdonald and Norman
H, Davis, chief American delegate, here
In Geneva, a path could be slashed
through the main disputes, the time
would still be insufficient to reach even
vague agreement before the middle
Of June.
1t is possible, therefore, that the Dis
armament Conference will continue to
sit simultaneously with the Economic
Conference. Almost nobody now expects
that settlement in either field can be
reached before Autumn
The British draft disarmament treaty
consist of five parts:
The first part concerns security. The
United States will not sign this part.
which therefore may be transformed
into separate treaty. The United
States, however. promises to make an
executive declaration on both consul
tation and non -insistance of neutral
rights In order to enable the others to
enter into such security agreements as
they please.
Tend to Harmonic.
The first three articles on security.
tending to harmonic the League Of
Nations Covenant and the Kellogg pact
in such a way as to obtain American
and Russian consultation, have met no
opposition.
The rest of this section consists Of
three annexes drafted not by the British
but by the security subcommittee
which the United States though a
member. has consistently boycotted, in
whose actual deliberations Great Brit
ain, Germany. Italy and Hungary took
no active part.
The first annex defines an aggressor as
a state which declares war on another,
or invades it, or attacks its territory its
ships or its aircraft. or blockades it by
sea, or supports armed bands which
have invaded it. This annex further
specifies that no alleged pressure or
provocation, no alleged revolt or al
legged revolutionary or other internal
disorder can excuse such aggression.
France. Russia. the little entente.
Poland, Turkey, Persia and most of the
Latin American states favor this def
milton. Great Britain opposes 1t. So
Goes Switzerland. Germany. Italy and
the United States The whole question
remains open.
Permanent Commission.
The second annex provides for per-
manent fact-flnding commissions in case
of breach of the pact. The third au-
thorizes regional mutual aid pacts for
prompt automatic action against ag-