Evening star., 1933-06-11
DY PAUL SCOTT MowRER.

ARIS-This Is an imaginary dia-
logue. 1t quotes neither French
Premier Edouard Daladier nor
Norman II. Davis, American
Ambassador at large in Europe
now engaged in disarmament talks. Yet
E is not entirely baseless.
It contains perhaps the spirit, If not
the letter, OF what they have been ac-
tually saying to each other in the
private disarmament talks just held in
Paris. It contains perhaps the reality
Of the present disarmament situation.
france-What do you want to disarm
me for? Do you really think menace
world peace? Do you not know that
Germany is secretly arming? Do you
want to make me commit suicide?
The United States-I am not trying
to disarm you. I am trying to reach
a general agreement to reduce and limit
armaments for everybody's peace and
prosperity. Do you feel so secure in
the present conditions? Have your
armaments so far made you safe and
happy? Don't you really think you
would be safer and your neighbors
would be more amenable to reason in
a world where everybody is bound alike
by disarmament treaty which Great
Britain and the United States would
sign and accept responsibility for it
like everybody else? =
France-Yes, but what you are now
asking is that I should throw away
the heavy arms which give me my
present superiority. You want to make
me weaker and consequently make Ger
many relatively stronger. And what
you offer in exchange are mere words
and mere theories, which may or may
not work.
that for years you yourself have been
saying that you would be able to dis
arm if the United States would only
play the game, agree to consult in case
of danger and agree not to block the
worlds peace machinery by insisting on
trading with an aggressor. Well, we
have now taken the courageous and
somewhat unpopular step of promising
to do precisely these things and what
is your answer? You compain that we
are trying to disarm you without giving
anything in exchange. Is that fair?
France-But your President no sooner
made the offer than your Senate began
trying to nullify 1t by bill providing
for an embargo against all belligerents,
victim and aggressor alike. What sort
of international morality Is that?
The United States-What the Presi-
dent offers you he can perform with
out asking the permission Of the Sen
ate. He can consult and he can refuse
Government protection to citizens who
seek thereafter to trade with nation
the President agrees to have been the
aggressor. Why are you always so sus-
picious? Why can't you trust man
who has gone so far to understand ana
meet your viewpoint in such friendly
spirit?
France-It is easy for you to talk.
You are protected from every danger
by two vast oceans. We live close
against violent-minded neighbor, who.
by his own confession, dreams only OF
crushing us and meanwhile Is secretly
arming.
Insists on Disarmament.
The United States-Just as you like.
Unless there Is some real disarmament,
none of our offers OF consultation ano
abandonment of neutrality hold. Ii
there is no disarmament, you will have
to take your own responsibilities ana
not count on us for anything.
France-We have been trying Tor the
last Is years to explain the situation 10
yo,l and the British and get you to help
lis organize real peace. You both seem
to think that we are crazy and haunted
by wholly imaginary fears. Wen, please
understand that to us all this is serious
business. If you do not want to organ
ize the world securely for peace, go
ahead and isolate yourselves, stay home
and let lis alone. We will handle the
situation ourselves and take such meas
ures as we think necessary.
The United States-It may come to
that eventually. but surely you agree
that cooperation is much better
method. Say frankly what you want.
You have the League of Nations COW
enant, the Locarno pact, the Kellogg
pact and now President Roosevelts
offer. What more do you want?
France-We want something practl-
cal and effective, not mere words. We
agree that you have taken an important
step forward and we are duly grateful,
though we think that the step is as
much to your interest as to ours. But
the whole meaning Of that step is to
free Great Britain from fear of comph-
cations with your Navy in case the Brit
ish Navy is obligated to operate against
an aggressor. What we want to know
is what is Great Britain willing to do,