REDUCTION OF ARMAMENTS

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 230, 24 June 1932, Page 11

REDUCTION OF ARMAMENTS

President Hoover Suggests Cut by One-third SUDDEN DRAMATIC ANNOUNCEMENT Cordial Reception by Statesmen at Geneva By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. / Washington, June 22. President Hoover, in a sudden dramatic announcement to-day, proposed principles for reducing the armaments of the entire world by nearly a third. With the Secretary of State, Mr. H. L. Stimson, by his side, the President read to a small group of newspapermen a statement, saying: “The time has come when we should cut through the brush and adopt arms reductions calculated to save between ten and 15 billion dollars during the next ten years.” , • , The President proposed the abolition of all tanks, chemical fare, and large mobile guns; a reduction by one-third of the strength of all land armies over and above the so-called police requirement, the abolition of all bombing planes-and the total prohibition of all bombardment from the air; a reduction in the treaty number and tonnage of all battleships by a third; a reduction of treaty tonnage of aircraftcarriers, cruisers, and destroyers by one-fourth, and of submarines by one-third, with no nation having- more than 35,000 tons of submersibles. It was .learned in authoritative quarters that the proposals had already been approved by Mr. Stimson, the Secretary of War, Mr P. I. Hurley, the Secretary of the Navy, Mr. C. F. Adams, also by the Chief of Staff of the Army and the Chief of Naval Operations, and the entire United States delegation at Geneva, where President Hoover s plan was placed before the conference on Wednesday.

DETAILS OF PLAN Reception by Delegates GENERALLY CORDIAL ■■i (Rec. June 23, 7.10 p.m.) Official Wireless Rugby, June 22. At a specially summoned meeting of the General Commission of the Disarmament Conference at Geneva the delegates discussed America’s proposals, which were simultaneously made public in Washington. The chief American representative, Mr. H. Gibson, said that he hoped that the proposals, which represented the substance of the instructions given by President Hoover for the guidance of American delegates, would lead other nations to state openly how much they would contribute to a general programme leading to real disarmament. “The time has come when we should cut through and announce some broad and definite method of reducing the overwhelming burden of armaments,” the statement proceeded. “It would be the most important step to be taken to expedite economic recovery. We must, make headway against fear and friction arising out of armaments which kill confidence throughout the world. ,We can still remain practical in maintaining adequate self-defence among all nations. We can add to the assurances of peace and yet save the people of the world from ten to fifteen billions of wasted dollars during the next ten years. Five Proposals. “I propose that the following principles should be our guide:— (1) The Kellog-Briantl Pact, to which we are all signatories, can only mean that, the nations of the world are agreed that they will use their arms solely for defence. (2) This reduction should be carried out not only by broad and general cuts in armaments, but by increasing the comparative power of defence through decrease in the power of attack; (3) The armaments of the world have grown up in mutual relation to each other. Speaking generally, such relativity should, be preserved in making the reduction. ■ (4) The reductions must be real and positive and effect an economic " relief. (5) There are three problems to be dealt with—land, air, and naval forces, all inter-connected. “Based on this principle, I propose that the armaments of the world should i>£ reduced by nearly one-third. In order to reduce the offensive character of all land forces as distinct from their defensive character, I propose the adoption of the proposals made at Geneva for the abolition of all tanks, all chemical warfare, and all largecalibre guns. I propose that there should be a reduction of one-third in the strength of all land armies over and above the so-called police components. "In regard .to air forces, all bombing planes should be abolished. "As regards naval forces, I propose that'the Treaty number and tonnage of battleships be reduced by onethird: that the Treaty tonnage of aircraft carriers and destroyers be reduced by one-fourth; that the Treaty tonnage of submarines be reduced by onethird, and that no nation shall retain a submarine tonnage greater than 35,000 tons, no single vessel to exceed 1200 tons.” Britain’s Attitude. Sir John Simon, the British Foreign Minister, thanked the American delegation for bringing forward the proposals, and promised prompt examination. "For we are convinced,” he said, “that any reasonable step by which the vast total of men under arms throughout the world can be reduced in ways which do not diminish safety should be welcomed not. only for its direct value as a contribution to world disarmament, bpt also because it would bring with it Immense relief in the financial burdens which are crushing down the taxpayer and threatening by their weight to clog and even bring to a standstill the whole of industry.” Dealing with the naval proposal, Sir John Simon said: "I entirely agree that, substartial proposals in the realm of naval disarmament are required. I doubt whether the proposals just indicated are in some respects adequate and in other respects appropriate to the varying circumstances of different naval Powers. There are not two men in the world better acquainted with the second of these difficulties than. President Hoover and Mr. Ramsay MacDonald. The Washington and London Naval Conferences are magnificent examples of how to translate aspirations as to disarmament into accurate and actual facts, and their particular merit is that they did take into account as far as pos 'ble the varying needs of the different Powers. "As for rdcqnacv, I say holdiy on behalf of the United K'nrdom delegation that in some respects we want more disarmament than hero appears. "The proposal that submarines should be reduced to an individual >

weight of 1200 tons appears to us to fall short of what is reeded. We want submarines to be entirely abolished. If they cannot be abolished,, then at least let their size be limited to 250 tons.” On the subject of capital ships, he asked wasUt not possible that whatever new capital ship construction took place, instead of building new vessels of 35,000 tons weight and 16-inch guns, they should agree that a much lower limit both in tonnage ard in gun calibre should be established. Italian Acceptance. The wireless report is supplemented by a Press Association cablegram which states that a remarkable demonstration followed a declaration by the Italian Foreign Minister, .Signor Grandi, which Signor Mussolini had dictated over the telephone, that Italy accepted the American proposal in its entirety. “The acceptance is complete and unconditional,” he said. The meeting broke out in a storm of cheers. Though M. Boncour promised that France would sympathetically consider the scheme, his hostility was unmistakable. He constantly referred to the question of security and asked, if the Kellogg Pact signatories were thus denuded of strength, what possibility would there be of executing sanctions? Herr Nadolny, on behalf of Germany, entirely approved of the proposals. His only objection to it was that it was too moderate. Mr. Matsudaira (Japan) reserved judgment. PRIVATE TALKS f Achievement of Results Official Wireless. Rugby. June 22. Mr. Arthur Henderson, President of the Disarmament Conference, called a meeting of the General Commission of the conference for this afternoon. The commission had been adjourned early last week pending the achievement of results by means of private conversations between the chief delegates which were then taking place. The discussions, which were begun when Mr. Ramsay MacDonald and Sir John Simon reached Geneva a few days ago and laid far-reaching proposals before other delegates, revealed that Britain and America at least werb in a close measure of accord on many of the ideas then put forward. Their unity of view upon the means of achieving a definite and drastic progress toward disarmament was strengthened in the course of the later Anglo-American contact. Proceedings at Lausanne and Geneva have been at least implicitly related, and it is generally assumed that it was in the minds of Mr. MacDonald and M. Herriot, who yesterday, in addition to conversations with other delegates, spent no less than five hours together. The purport of these and other informal exchanges remains secret. Sir John Simon, who has been divid- , ing his time between Lausanne and Geneva,- returned to-day to the latter place, where yesterday he presided over three-Power conversations designed to- bring the British, /American and French views into harmony. PRESS OPINIONS London Views Cautious FRENCH HOSTILITY (Rec. June 23, 10,45 p.m.) London, June 23. The Press generally is cautious over President Hoover’s plan, and contents itself mainly with saying that it is entitled to serious consideration. A message from Paris says that President Hoover's action is discounted there as largely an electoral manoeuvre, and more important to America tha'n to Geneva. The “Journal des Debuts” says: “MM. Herriot ami Boncour will know how to deal with this ultimatum. We cannot consent to any reduction of effectives.” NEW YORK COMMENT I President’s Action Praised ‘(Rec. June 23, 7.59 p.m.) New York, June 22. The "New York Times” in a leader ; says: "The President's intervention at !' Geneva is both timely and bold. 11 will be recognised as worthy of , :5s ; statesmanship, being a large conception I with a truly noble motive.” ' The “New York Herald-Tribune” I says: “Whatever action is finally taken it must be common action, genuinely, in

the Interests of all, and not even in appearance an attempt to force one view down the throats of those who hold a different view.” AERIAL WARFARE Prohibitions, Restrictions SIX FRENCH PROPOSALS Official Wireless. Rugby, June 22. At a meeting of the Air Commission of the Disarmament Conference tne French delegate submitted a programme of six proposals, including the prohibition of chemical and germ aerial warfare, the prohibition of aerial bombardment beyond battlefields, the Internationalisation of commercial transport aeroplanes, the fixing of a maximum tonnage for civil aeroplanes not internationalised, and the adoption of measures concerning private manufacture and sale of aerial armaments. The British Air Minister, Lord Londonderry, in undertaking the immediate consideration of the proposals, said that he believed they would be more acceptable than the first French proposals, but emphasised tha,t the normal developments of civil aviation must not be hampered. BRITISH STANDPOINT Reparations Problem “GERMANY CANNOT PAY” (Rec. June 23, 7.10 p.m.) Lausanne, June 23. Sir Johfi Simon has departed for Loudon to report to Friday’s Cabinet meeting on the latest phases of both conferences. Mr. Ramsay MacDonald conferred with M. Herriott briefly, and then handed him a memorandum containing rhe British standpoint. It is a statement of principles based on the viewpoint i that Germany cannot pay, and that if ( payments are to be made in future Germany must be allowed sufficient time ’o ensure recovery, against which no arrangement should lie permitted to militate. Tile statement strongly insists that the settlement shall definitely be final. '