GIBE AT GERMANY

Evening Star, Issue 21116, 31 May 1932, Page 6

GIBE AT GERMANY

"POCKET" GUN SUGGESTION TWO 6EHEVA SPEECHES Two very remarkable speeches were mad© in the General Commission on Disarmament at Geneva on April 12 by M. Tardieu,, the French Premier, and M. Litvinofr, the Soviet Foreign Minister. The Frenchman entirely tied the conference up into knots, and made it extremely difficult, if not impossible* for any progress to be made; out the Russian made suggestions of a constructive nature, a correspondent states. M. Tardieu, looking straight at the German delegation, said: “Some of our friends invented a pocket battleship; is it not possible that some day someone will invent a pocket gun?’’. The Soviet delegation’s proposal is worded as follows:—“The high contracting parties agree to effect a substantial reduction in their existing armaments according to the progressive and proportional principles laid down in the present convention.” M. Litvinofr proposed a reduction which “ general staffs and not merely Finance Ministers and taxpayers would feel.”

The Russian Army, said M. Litvinoff, would be reduced under his plan by 50 per cent. Naval and air forces would also be reduced on a proportional basis. The Russians are opposed to the limitations of armaments based on security alone. Another Russian, M. Karl Radek, is one of the most interesting personages now in Geneva. M. Radek, behind the scenes, played a leading part in the German revolution of 1918-19, and was arrested. Then ho went to Russia and became the head of the Chinese University in Moscow. With Trotsky he was sent into exile, but now, quite unheralded, he appears to have returned to Stalin’s favour. The Council of the League met in special session on April 12 ostensibly to discuss the report of the Finance Conunittee, but in reality it was an attempt by M. Tardieu, the President of the Council, to revive the Danube Conference which failed the previous week in London.

After the views expressed in London had been repeated it was decided to appoint a special committee to consider the suggested loans to Austria and Greece, and report to the- uoxt Council meeting..