Evening star., 1934-04-29

course as the tOrpedolng Of the con-
versations The action is the less in
telligible because. only 10 days before,
the "two-page note" of France had
indicated willingness to consider a
moderate German rearmament, al
though no disarmament of her own,
on condition that Great Britain agreed
to certain unspecified guarantees OF
execution
The sudden furry which resulted in
this right-about-face is attributed
here to the military influences behind
the French government which over
bore Foreign Minister Barthou with
the argument-supported by the i'll
timed German armaments estimates
that unless Germany's rearmament
were Immediately denounced and dis
allowed in the most emphatic manner,
it might not be long before they would
be unable to guarantee the margin OF
superiority regarded as essential to
national safety against attack.
Whether, as result of Mondays
meeting of the bureau, the general
commission of the Disarmament Con-
ference will reassemble on May % is
doubtful, but everything points to the
acceptance by the British government
of the French request for a meeting
Il is unfortunate that Germany will
not be there. but the German memo
randum to the British government,
which was received "a hours before
the French note. states very Specltl-
cally the German position.
British ministers have undoubtedly
been impressed by this German
memorandum, which. with only one
serious demurrer, accepts the British
plan of January. That exception Is
to the proposal that Germany should
wait two years for a purely defensive
air force equal to half that of France.
In one respect Germany asks even less
of France than Britain had asked
no reduction for five years to come.
The feeling here is that at all costs
a convention must be achieved, for If
the Disarmament Conference breaks
down it will break down finally, and
the only alternative is a competitive
race in ornaments, eliminating in
inevitable war 1t is no longer ex-
pected that disarmament will be OBJ
tanned, but limitation on the status
quo can be obtained, and an agree
ment on that basis will be break
water against competitive ornaments
and European disruption. There is
now universal agreement on the vital
question of supervision. which should
provide complete security against
breaches of the convention and serve
to remove the fears and suspicious
which poison international relation
ships.
Strong pressure is being brought on
the British government to meet
France on the question of security"
not only by the reafirmation of the
Locarno treaty, but by making 1t a
condition of the convention that any
nation not carrying out its obligations
should be subjected to economic and
diplomatic pressure of the most force
full kind by the other signatories. Such
undertakings would have the support
not only of Italy but, as their recent
memorandum shows, of the lesser
powers, and they should provide all
the reasonable assurances that France
can ask for on the subject of security.
On the other hand, there must be
no departure from the principle Of
equality of status" conceded to Ger
many as long ago as December, 1882,
and the convention must define clearly
the steps by which that equality must
ultimately be implemented.
(Copyright. 103A.l