Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-07-23
RESPITE ON CONFERENCES
URGED TO PROMOTE PEACE
Continued Failure of Ambitious World
Diplomatic Gatherings Draws Sugges-
ton for Moratorium on Them.
BY THOMAS II. HEALY, Ph. d.,

Assistant Dean and Professor Of Foreisn. Re.
Foreign Service.
TINE most effective plan to pro-
mote world peace and aid the
early return of national and
i international prosperity would
be to establish Immediately .
three-year moratorium on all further
general international conferences. Dur
i ing the moratorium no chief Of state
or minister Of foreign affairs should
leave his own borders; diplomatic nego-
tiations should be reduced to an aheo-
lutte minimum and preferably all Giplo-
/ mats should be gwen q compulsory
! leave Of absence with pa for six
they could drink tea. play brittle or do
! anything except engage in diplomatic
controversies. In such countries where
feasible land at present these are
| numerous). the press should be re-
| quired to reduce drastically the amount
| Of space devoted to international dis
putes.
This plan, proposed to the writer by
| one Of the shrewdest foreign diplomats
| in Washington, is not IS much of q
joke as 1t might seem at first blush.
! At least the idea Of a moratorium on
/ general international conferences Is
| gaining more and more ground with
some Of the worlds leading statesmen
as a sane expedient to improve inter-
| national conditions. During the past
decade millions Of dollars have been
| spent. untold tons Of literature pro-
duced and a tremendous amount of
personal energy expended on innumer-
able international conferences designed
! to promote world peace and insure
| international economic recovery. No
! stone has been left unturned and seri-
GUS consideration has been given to
| to the widest flights Of Imagination.
Net Result Sub-Zero.
A casual survey of world conditions
| today shows that the net results Of
these herculean labors have not been
zero-they have been minus so! The
| greatest fear Of students of interna-
tional affairs Is that one too many of
these Peace" conferences may precipi-
, tate disastrous world war. Effective
world cooperation in the political and
! economic field Is far less today than it
was when the conferences started 10
years ago. Intense nationalism Is
sweeping the world with the uncon-
trollable force of q "northeaster" gale.
The principal fruit of these world saw
ing" conferences has been to intensity
greatly the existing conflicts of interests
and to produce widespread and danger
Gus irritations. resulting in the most
bitter determinations of nations and
peoples against one another.
In the few words that Mr.. Roosevelt
devoted in his inaugural address to
foreign affairs, he dedicated this Nation
ito the policy Of the good neighbor. :"
| This country, as well as many others,
has sinned grievously against the cardi-
nal Characteristic OF good neighbor. :"
It does not take q technical expert to
understand Whist q good neighbor T..
The average John Jones and Tom
Smith know that q bad neighbor Is ONE
that interferes too much with his busi-
ness and visits too often with sugges-
| tons which, while we'll intentioned,
increase in irritation with their number.
Irritation Is Inevitable.
Browns ideas on how Jones should
| rear his children. how he should balance
| his budget. what sort Of fence he
i should have around his property, and
F; the like. might be much better than
the ideas Of Jones himself. And yet
human nature Is such that 1t Is not
long before Jones becomes intensely
! Irritated at the continued scrutiny and
! suggestions Of Brown. If every one IN
the neighborhood followed the same
procedure as Brown. it would not be
long before the previously friendly
group of neighbors would degenerate
into q number of antagonists who would
| tight at the drop of q hat. The peace
Of the neighborhood would be destroyed
and tragically so because Of well in
tentioned, If not sensible, persons.
It Is another peculiar quirk of human
nature that while often We can settle
| quarrel with q neighbor separately,
| the difficulties are increased immeas-
urably when there are so other on
lockers and participants IN the argu-
ment.
It Is believed that the above picture
fits accurately the present world stu
alton. The nations Of the world have
become tired and sick of SO or so
other nations checking into their pri-
vate affairs and telling them what they
+, ought to do. The situation has by no
means improved because Of the count
less broken illusions resulting from
conference after conference. hailed in
advance as 1.-The greatest conference in
the history of the world" and like q
patent medicine guaranteed to give
sure results, curing all human ailments
from athletes foot to leaky hearts
and then ending In miserable failure!
Nations today are like all friends. no
matter how good they be. who, seeing
each other too often and too intimately,
inevitably get ON one another's nerves.
The cure in such cases Is for all the
friends to depart to their respective
homes and reduce all communication
to an absolute minimum for q reason
able period. Then the chances are
that when they meet again they will
greet as II they were long-lost brothers.
If we consider for q moment how the
nations have been acting. 1t will be no
surprise that most nations resent what
they consider undue meddling in their
business on the part Of other nations.
Groups of nations have been telling
Australia and kumania how much
wheat they should grow; our Govern
ment very pointedly tells the French
they should reduce their ornaments,
balance their budget and collect taxes,
while at the same time we urge the
British to follow our example Of raising
commodity prices (by artificial or
natural means) and embark on public
works program similar to ours.
Distinguished Germans indicate that
1t Is our job to re-make the map of
Europe.
Europe as q chorus accuses US of bad
faith. If not deliberate fraud in going
of the gold standard and depreciating
our currency, although when practically
all of these nations followed the same
expedient they considered 1t honest and
nothing but common sense. While we
were chasing the Elusive rainbow Of
international peace and universal dis
armament the japanese embarked on
q huge program Of expansion by armed
force and simultaneously built up their
navy. When the United States be-
latedly emberks on program Of build
ing up its Navy to the agreed treaty
strength. certain sections Of the Jap
anese public seem to feel that In some
way this Is menace to world peace
eretion.
When the United States merchant
marine BY modest Government suhsi-
dies reaches respectable place and
a~~-i>. a.a~ .kl.i.l ~ e,,. ne..as.aS~an 49,