Evening star., 1933-02-26
Hull Approves
Sti111sOn Note
to Geneva.
POWERS OFFER
COMMON FRONT
But America Insists
ON Independent
Status.
RY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

A common front of all Western
nations to face together the in
creasing menacing situation in the
Far East is expected to be the re-
suit Of Americas reply last night
to the League of Nations, approv-
ing unequivocally the stand that
body has taken in the Sino-
Japanese conflict.
The American reply to the note
of the League was sent attire Secre-
tary Stimson had discussed it IN
a two-and-a-half-hour conference
with the Secretary designate,
Senator Cordell Hull, and stated
that "the purpose of the United
States has conceded in general
with that of the League of Nations,
the common objective being main
tenance of peace and settlement
of international disputes by pa
cific means"
Secretary Stinson further stated: In
pursuance of that objective, while the
League of Nations has been exercising
jurisdiction over a controversy between
two of its members, the Government OF
the United States has endeavored to
give support, reserving to itself tnde-
pendence of judgment with regard to
method and scope, to the efforts OF the
League on behalf of peace"
rnyHlyy NM
tone and made the inevitable restric-
tions compatible with the American
status as a non-member of the League.
After having declared that findings
of fact arrived at by the League and
the understanding OF the fact derived
by the American Government from re-
ports made to it by its representatives
are in substantial accord" Secretary
Stimson, commenting on the Leagues
recommendations for settlement OF
the dispute, replied: I'm so far as ap
propriate under the treaties to which it
Is a party, the United States expresses
its general Endorsement of the principles
recommended
"The Hoover Doctrine"
The principles referred to by Mr..
StimSon were the non-recognition OF
the newly created Manchukuo state
and the withdrawal of the Japanese
Army from the Chinese territory. They
were formulated in Washington last
year and are known as the Hoover doc
trine. In his note to the League the
Secretary of State said: In their af-
firmation, respectively, Of the principle
OF non-recognition and their attitude in
regard thereto, the League and the
United States are on common ground.
While the same measures to bring
No nly ta nf inv
be taken by the League together with
the United States. there is a distinc-
tion which the Secretary of State had
in mind when he drafted his note of
reply to the League This distinction
is that while the League may adopt
coercive measures against Japan on the
basis of the Covenant by applying the
sanction mentioned in article 16 which
provides for an economic and financial
boycott, America cannot apply the same
sanctions without the special approval
of the Congress and must be guided
in its actions exclusively on the prin
ciples of the two treaties to which she
Is a party, the Kellogg pact and the
nine-power treaty.
This distinction is considered in the
State Department as essential because
1t is not desired here that the common
action of the League and the United
States in this particular case should
be interpreted in the future as prec-
adent to involve this country In other
actions in which America Is not di-
rectly interested.
The Secretary Of State was particu-
larly careful to show that the United
States had acted independently
throughout these months of investiga-
tion and fact finding.
Cautious But Firm.
Stimson's reply was cautious but firm.
While giving full encouragement to the
League to proceed to whatever coercive
measures it may find necessary to en-
force peace in the Far East, 1t avoids
two things: 1t does not lay the United
States open to any criticism from Japan
that it is E1eddling in the affairs of the
League without being member of that
organization and it does not create a
precedent which could compel this
country to intervene under different
circumstances in affairs which do not
concern the United States.
The note also represents fully Amer
ica's national policies. Senator Hull,
who studied it carefully, gave it his un-
qualified approval. There is not the
slightest doubt in the minds of the
officials of the State Department that
CONTINUED on Page 2, Column g.