Evening star., 1933-05-14
BY FRANK H. SIMONDS.

~ NCE more, as so often happens
on the eve of an international
conference. opinion at WASH
" ington finds itself sharply di-
vided over the outlook. On
the one hand there is the official view
deliberately fostered and favored IN
public utterances that progress is as
sured. On the other hand is the unof-
fetal but general judgment among for
eign diplomats and domestic journal
lists of international experience that
the chances of achievement are slim.
Oddly enough both forecasts start
from the same premises. The official
view is that the talks Of the President
with Herriot and Macdonald created
such a pleasant atmosphere and indi-
Gated such an extent of good will or
both sides that success at London must
follow. BY contrast, the unofficial view
begins with the appraisal of the Wash
ington conversations as discussions
which began in a fog of mutual incom-
prehensions and ended in smoke
screen of compliments.
Setback Suffered.
The truth is, of course, that when
the United States went off the gold
standard while Macdonald and Herriot
we're actually on the ocean all real hope
of progress in the matter Of currency
sterilization was for the time being at
an end And when the President failed
to discuss the debt question with either
visitor, beyond casual references to the
political situation here, all opportunity
for either Macdonald or Herriot to act
effectively at home for any understand
o% oc1H l.
iShed.
When Macdonald returned from the
Rapidan he carried with him an agree
ment in naval issues which was COM
plete save for the matter of three So
called Washington cruisers, just as
when he came here he brought with
him the terms of the British admiralty.
On this foundation the structure OF the
London treaty was erected and success
so far as British and American details
were concerned was assured.
Learn Little.
But the proposals Macdonald brought
this time lost relevance when America
quit the gold standard and from WASH
ington this time the British prime min
lister carried back not one definite de-
Cdll. he brought WIFI llAIu SO1RC VI VIC
ablest of the British economic experts
and treasury civil servants. but they
went away no wiser than they came.
They were totally unable to discover
the smallest evidence that either the
President or his professors had any
definite plan SO far as stabilization was
concerned. They did discover his pur-
pose to raise domestic prices by infla :
ton, but they looked upon the project
with polite but patent increduity.
Exactly in the same fashion when
Laval came here two years ago his con-
versations with Hoover did lead to q
clear indication that the United States
meant to stay its hand abroad and leave
1t to France to bring about some politi'
cal and economic adjustment. And on
that platform the Lausanne settlement
was presently erected, although the
United States eventually repudiated the
implications Of the Hoover declarations
But Herriot, In his turn, obtained
nothing in the smallest way reassurine
in the matter of the financial or econo-
mic policy of the United States. He
did learn-and the news was welcome
that unlike the Hoover administra'
tion, that of Roosevelt was not lending
its moral support to the project OF ter
ritorial revision of the peace treatie:
and did not feel personal concern ovel
the Polish Corridor. He was alsf
"bucked up" to get IN American ~
surance Of support for the idea Of auto