Evening star., 1934-08-19
BY FRANK H. SIMONDS.

plays the game internationally. OF
course, in the present state of Italian
finances, to sink anything up to
$100,000,000 in two capital ships
would be next to impossible. Further
more, since Italy has no frontage on
the ocean such ships would not in the
least conform to her actual needs.
What the Duce is up to is, however,
quite patent. The British are eager
to have the Forthcoming London con-
ference agree to reduction in the size
of capital ships from $4,000 tons, the
Washington figure, to $4,000 tons. On
this point they have been and remain
at odds with the United States, which
favors the larger size because of the
greater distances between its naval
bases and its consequent need for
greater steaming radius.
In this familiar quarrel between our
admirals and the British the latter
have enlisted the support of the
French and japanese. The French
have taken the British side because
their needs are like those of their
neighbors and, in addition, they are
building two new 25,0o0-ton ships
which would be overshadowed If the
American standard were Endorsed at
London. Japan, for her part, natu-
rally seeks to restrict the size of CAPT.
tai ships because that increases her
own security by precluding the ar
rival of foreign ships in her own
waters.
British Give Duce Chance.
If the British could also obtain the
backing Of the Italians for their
smaller type they would then con-
front the Americans at London with
solid front of all the other mari
time powers. But the natural anx-
iety of the British for Italian support
gives the Duce his chance. He, too,
wants something, and that is British
support for the Italian claim of
parity with France. If Britain will
bring pressure upon Paris to yield on
this point then Italy will stand with
her against the United States.
This claim for parity is old fighting
ground. At the Washington confer
ence the liberal regime, which Mus
solini has destroyed, obtained French
recognition of Italys claim to parity
with France in capital ships. So far,
however, the FaScistS, whose Scorn of
the regime which they overthrew is
unlimited, have failed where their
predecessors succeeded, and the Duce's
disappointment has been acute.
Like the Japanese, who claim parity
with the United States and Great
Britain, the Italians do not expect to
exercise the right even If they should
obtain it, for their financial resources
are greatly inferior to the French.
What Is Immediately at stake is a
question of prestige, in fact a double
question-both domestic and foreign.
At home they desire to remove the
inconvenient fact that they have
failed where the liberals succeeded;
abroad they are eager to make good
their claim to be great power like
France.
To get the Italian support at Lon
don the British must, then, persuade
the French to concede the Italian
right to parity. But to obtain that
consent the British will have to
give the French a Mediterranean
Locarno, which would amount to be-
slowing upon French North African
possessions a British protection such
as now covers Franco German FROM
tiers. Here once more old ground
is reoccupied, for at the London Con-
ference Italian claim to parity and
British refusal to give France guar
antees wrecked all efforts to make
q flve-power treaty.
The recent blunt demand of Earl
Beatty that Britain drop the nom
sense about ratios and build to its
own needs, leaving others to follow
the British example, had its origin
far more in European and Asiatic
circumstances than in American,
although the tendency in our naval
circles is to identify the advice as
covert thrust at the United States.
Ever since the London Conference
both the French and Italians have
been expanding their fleets, chiefly in
the So-called Washington cruiser
the l0,000-ton ship carrying 8-inch
guns.
Right to Expand Reserved.
1t will be recalled that at London
the British, in making a three-power
treaty with the United States and
Japan, reserved the right to expand
their fleet beyond the agreed figures
If they found their position in Europe
threatened. And that position was
based upon a two-power standard.
Today French and Italian strength
In the cruiser line has reached
point where the admiralty is be-
coming nervous, as admiralties do
quite easily.
In the same fashion the British
are becoming disturbed over Japanese
pretenSions. They are resigned to
Japanese superiority in all of the
waters Immediately surrounding the
Japanese islands. This is a question
of security which they recognize can
not be debated. But if Japan is
both to make good her right to parity
and at the same time to be free to
follow the American example and
build big battleships, then the ques-
ton of the security of Australia and
India comes into the debate.
The idea that the British reckon
the American fleet an antagonist is
hardly exact, because in any conflict
between the United States and Britain
the question of land forces must
ICIlldlIlS
even nominally a part of the British
Commonwealth Because of the Cana
dan detail British policy is con-
demned to avoid open collision with
the United States. On the other
hand, the American program, which
calls for big battleships and at the
same time continues to urge reduc-
tionS. is disturbing.
When Secretary Swanson the other
day proposed 20 per cent cut, thus
going back to the old familiar Hoover
thesis. he insts ntlv aroused British
opposition because the mere question
of relative strength, which is all
important in our case, Is not the
issue for the British. They require.
to maintain their lines of communi-
cation in the face of Italian and
French naval strength In the Med
iterranean and Japanese in the Far
East, certain minimum of cruisers.
We have no analogous concerns. In
the first place, French and Italian