Evening star., 1933-06-11
BIT GASToN NERvAL.

TT Is not only because Of its signif-
canoe as further step In the
maintenance of world peace that
i the reconciliation of Colombia and
Peru at Geneva is important. Be-
sides its worthiness as a peace move
the Geneva settlement of the Leticia
incident has special political signifi-
canoe, resulting from its peculiar cir
cumstances and from the conditions OF
the moment.
This does not mean, Of course, that
its transcendency In the physical realm
the avoidance of an armed conflict
and the actual promotion of world
peace-is not enough in itself, to re-
serve place for it in contemporary
history.
Particularly at this time. when two
other unofficial" wars are in progress:
when the Disarmament Conference is
seriously beginning to tackle its gigan-
tic task; when the fate of the League
of Nations and, indeed, the whole peace
machinery of civilized society, seems
to be at q crossroad, the material i'm
portance of diplomatic adjustment as
that secured by the League between
Colombia and Peru Is obvious. But
apart from this, apart both from the
actual number of human lives it may
have saved, and from its more medi-
ate value in the furtherance Of the
cause Of peace, the solution of the
Leticia tnbroglio is also important
from the purely doctrinal point of view.
ment introduce two innovations in the
field Of international relationships.
New Precedents Set.
Such innovations are: First, the es-
tablishment of an international police
force under League officers, to main
tain order In the territory in dispute
and to insure the fulhllment Of the
Leagues recommendations; and. sec
ond, the abandonment of the old-fash-
ioned and mistaken conception OF the
Monroe Doctrine under which the priv
ilege Of saying the last word In any
dispute arising in the New World had
been enormously reserved to the United
States, and to the United States alone.
The first one may have q bearing
Of international law. It sets prece-
dent for the future never yet attempted,
though often mentioned and suggested
by the advocates Of an international
organization Of peace.
For the first time serious quarrel
between two sovereign nations, in
which territory and that infinitely more
dangerous element, national PRIDE"
are involved, is placed under the super
vision of q specially appointed League
commission. And the passions of
popular sentiment In the two disputant
countries are successfully checked by
the Intervention Of an alien influence,
with the force Of world opinion behind
1t. For the first time the administra-
ton Of the territory matter Of the con-
troversy is left to third party. with
REIMBURSEMENT Of strategic military
positions on both sides.
League Is Given Teeth.
All this, to be sure, Is unusual, but
the most revolutionary part Of it, the
real innovation, Is In the provision for
an international armed force to insure
the carrying out Of the agreement. For
the first time any such force, selected
by the League commission and respon-
For the first time the possibilities of
an international police to enforce inter-
national justice are given recognition.
For the first time the French thesis
Is given q chance. For the first time,
the League Is given teeth.
This Is an entirely new experiment.
It % an innovation in the realm Of
international affairs. Considering the
trend Of the times, 1t may be said to
give, US an advance picture, pre-view.
Of what the world army or the world
police force Of the future might be.
As for the second innovation - the
Intervention Of European powers In q
solely American question-students Of
Pan-American affairs viii ind 1t even
more interesting than the former. Not
because they did not expect 1t. On
the contrary, every indication In the
present foreign policy Of the United
States pointed to the shelving Of the
old conception of the Monroe Doctrine
IN the emergency of an American con-
fiict which demanded League action.
For the past four years the State De-
partment has been getting further and
further away from the transformed
and distorted Monroe Doctrine which
until then presided over inter- American