Evening star., 1933-10-01
World Interest Again
Focused on Geneva
BY. A. G, GARDINER.

LONDON. September 30-Geneva
has become once more the center OF
the worlds stage. In the presence OF
events there the departure Of Sir Fred
erick William Leith-Ross for resump-
ton of discussions at Warrington faus
to reawaken interest in war debt Ques-
tions
The public is bored with the strange.
obscure drama at Leipzig and Is con-
tent to await developments IN Ireland.
which seem to be moving rapidly 10
a crisis Even the question Of whether
President Roosevelt Is leading America
to the promised land OF. to an eco
nomic crash is overshadbwed by the
issue in the balance at Geneva. Tne
issue is whether Europe can stabilize
the armaments situation and 50 restore
political confidence, or whether 1t Il
is impossible and nothing Is left but
to enter upon undisguised competition
in ornaments.
Opinion on this great matter sways
to and fro from day to day, but the
opening phases Of the League OF Ma
tion's Assembly were not unpromisins
and Foreign Minister Simons intro
ductory speech has given much salts
faction, especially his insistence on the
paramount necessity Of the coming
Disarmament Conference enacting Q
convention. His view Is that political
accommodation and agreement are es-
sential as preliminary to world eco
nomic recovery and that postponement
of the conference without reaching con-
clusions would gravely worsen both the
political and the economic outlook.
This declaration has done much to
remove the despairing impression that
the conference, which assemblies ten
days hence, would only assemble to
postpone the issue to some future date.
If this open confession OF failure y
to be averted, decision On main points
must be reached before the conference
begins. Discussions which are going On
among the principal powers In the As
sembly will be decisive regarding the
success or failure Of the conference.
What cannot be settled by six states
cannot be settled by sixty states .
fortnight hence.
Some criticism is current in Geneva
on the ground that the negotiations
proceeding among the great powers are
in the nature of caucus directed to
the prejudice Of the smaller powers.
but Foreign Minister Simon justly has
repudiated this suggestion. It Is plain
that without preliminary agreement on
the main principles the conference will
be wrecked by infinite discussion Of the
ninety-six articles in the draft Of the
proposed convention.
The prospect Of the big five" going
to the conference with large measure
Of agreement Is not unhopeful. Behind
the scenes at Geneva representatives Of
the British and French governments
have been Joined by those Of italy. Ger
many and the United States. with
President Arthur Henderson Of the Dis
armament Conference collaborating.
Favorable factors making for an agree
ment are many. The most important
sequences of failure and the dangers
Of further delay In facing the problem
boldly and courageously Next, the Ger.
man attitude on the ReichWehr Ques-
ton has ceased to block the path. The
last crisis In the Disarmament Confer.
ence was caused BY the refusal Of Cor.
many 70 asrse p Transform the Reich
wehr into . militia system. This 70.
fusal has now been Withdrawn and,
also, on the subject Of supervision Of
armements. Germany u not unfs-
vorable.
On the other hand, Hitlerism has
faced Europe with the naked fact that
unless disarmament Is implemented
Germany will rearm, and to that ex-
tent it has done good. It has COM
PEELED the allies to contemplate the
challenge which Is inevitable unless
concessions are made now In order to
reach an agreement.
Those concessions can be made with
good grace while Germany's rearma-
ment has not reached the stage which
makes It q dangerous menace. More
ovsr, happily, the French tamper u
more pacific than at any time Enes
the var, and marked IMPROVEMENT IA