ARMS EMBARGO

Evening Star, Issue 21722, 17 May 1934, Page 12

ARMS EMBARGO

WHY BRITAIN'S EFFORTS FAILED MR BALDWIN EXPLAINS (British Official Wireless.) Press Association—By Telegraph—Ccpyright. RUGBY, May 16. (Received May 17, at noon.) Mr Baldwin, on behalf of the Foreign Secretary, replied to a question in the House of Commons calling attention to a statement that arms had been imported to Bolivia and Paraguay from America and Europe. In regard to the suggestion that, irrespective of the action of foreign armament factories, licenses should ihe withheld for such exports from Britain, Mr Baldwin said he feared no useful purpose would be served by such a course, since an embargo, to be effective, must he enforced at least by the principal arms manufacturing countries, several of which had not yet expressed their readiness to co-operate. Recapitulating the history of the proposal for an arms embargo, Mr Baldwin said that it wag on the initiative of the British Government that the exchange of views originally took place, more than a year ago, between the Government* of the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and Italy, with a view to an agreement between them to prohibit the export of arms to Bolivia and Paraguay. Subsequently the British Government, with the cooperation of . the French Government, submitted a memorandum to the League Council in February, 1933, suggesting that steps be taken under the Covenant to recommend the Governments to impose an embargo. A draft declaration to he signed by the governments in favour of this step was considered by the Council and accepted by all the States which are members of the Council, including the United Kingdom. A number of States made acceptance subject to the acceptance of the declaration by a specified number of other States, including the United States. The Government of the United States, however, stated that it was unable to impose an embargo until the necessary legislation Was passed by Congress, and no such legislation had been passed.