Evening star., 1934-11-19
LEAGUE EXPECTS
ARMS BAN FAILURE
Steering Committee Meets
Tomorrow, DoWncast
by Prospects.
Ry ALBIN E. JOHNSON.

BY ALbIN JohNoo4N.
GENEVA, Switzerland. November
1g.-Disarmament is dead, long live
disarmament!
Figuratively speaking, that is the
decision which will be taken by the
Bureau of the International Disarma-
ment Conference when 1t meets here
tomorrow. President Arthur Hender-
son has summoned the Steering Com
mittee-composed of representatives
of some Is states, including the
United States, Japan and Russia-to
meet concurrently with the League
Council, which has been convened to
deal with the Saar, Chaco and other
questions this week.
After nearly three years deliber.
ations on the part of representatives OF
more than SO countries, it has at last
been admitted that disarmament is
impossible of achievement-at this
time. That does not mean, however,
that the efforts of the past 80 months
have been in vain President Hen
derson will recommend that certain
subjects, related to disarmament,
such as international regulation of
the manufacture of and trade in
armaments, publicity on military ex-
penditures and setting up of per-
manent disarmament commission, be
dealt with in the form of protocols.
Pessimism Reigns.
AS to reduction and limitation" of
ornaments, realists have long admit
ted their impossibility at the mo-
ment That phase Of disarmament
will be indefinitely shelved officially,
reduction and limitation will not be
taken up again until some time in
1885, If Henderson's recommendations
are accepted. The political situation
at present and the probable trend
of political events in the near future"
according to Henderson'S admission,
are not such as to encourage optl-
mism. Abandonment of the original
aims of the disarmament conference,
however, is not implied in the pro-
cedure he proposes. He simply asks
that the method of procedure" be
reconsidered without "prejudicing the
principles underlying the commit
ments" already entered into by the
nations which have participated in
the negotiations.
Almost from the beginning the
Leagues campaign for disarmament
which was imposed upon it by the
Covenant-haS been jinXed. Japan
messed up things by running amuck
in Manchuria on the eve of the sum-
moning of the plenary sessions
after eight years of tedious prepara-
tions. Then Germany thrice with
drew, the last time leaving the
League also. Furthermore, four South
American countries-Bolivia, Para
quay, Peru and Colombia-started
private wars. To cap the climax, an
armaments race has gotten under
way both on land and sea. Germany
and Japan are largely to blame.
HitIer's Neighbors Arm.
Early this year a series of post
ponements were started. Their OBJ
ject was to give statesmen time to ne
gotiate through diplomatic channels
for the removal of political questions
which mitigated against diSarma-
ment. No progress has been made
so far as Germany is concerned. The
Nazis have torn up the disarmament
clauses of the Versailles treaty, and
as result Germany's neighbors have
called all bets off. Poland, Belgium,
Czechoslovakia, France and even
Switzerland are armed-or are now
arming up to the hilt. Russia and
Italy have never let down in their
preparedness activities.
Other irritating issues, especially the
1talo-French rivalries and the Yugo-
slav-Italian controversy, were on the
way toward solution when King Alex
ander and Foreign Minister Louis Bar
thou of France were assassinated at
Marseille. The suspicious were again
aroused and now it is doubtful if
direct negotiations between Paris and
Rome will be held for some time. The
Hungarian-Little Entente animosities
are also smoldering once more and
Polands Irritation with Germany
largely as a result of Frances alli-
ance with Soviet Russia-has compli-
Gated matters in mid Europe.
Nations Break.
The entry of Russia into the
League-abetted by Frances good
offlces-has had a direct effect on
Franco-Japanese relations, especially
in respect to disarmament. The jap
anese and French played together
rather closely until the menace of
Hitlerism arose on the western front.
Berlin kow-towed to the japanese,
especially in regard to Manchuria,
and turned thumbs downs on the
Franco-R Russian proposal for an east
ern Locarno. That necessitated an
almost open break between France
and the japanese.
Recent naval developments at Lon
don have also upset the disarmament
apple cart BY challenging Britain
and the United States in her demand
for equality Toxic has made further
naval disarmament almost impossible.
Italy and France have both started
building dreadnaughts and the sky in
naval ornaments now appears to be
the limit.
President Henderson's recommended
tions are also significant in view of
feelers recently put forward by the
Germans. Berlin, it is understood, is
ready to return to Geneva and re-
sumo disarmament discussions, with
out public recognition of equality"
Since the Nazis have flouted the Ver-
sailles Treaty without unhappy results,
Berlin considers equality 'fait ac-
copop1i Tho French and british