DISARMAMENT.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19165, 23 November 1927, Page 9

DISARMAMENT.

AMERICA'S ATTITUDE, j ONLY ONE REPRESENTATIVE J AT GENEVA. j (BT CABLE—PfIESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT.) (AUSTRALIAN A.SD S.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION.) (Received November 22nd, 7.20 p.m.) NEW YORK, November 21. The correspondent of the New York "Times" in Washington says "The participation of the United States in the meeting at Geneva on November 30th of the Preparatory Commission on Armament Limitation will probably be confined to the formal attendance of the American Minister to Switzerland, Mr Wilson, who will represent America but, as the security question will presumably raise no prolems of direct concern to the United States, it is not planned to send technical experts, particularly as a discussion of armament limitations is not scheduled until next spring. The United States may find it advisable to signify its position by a simple declaration of the policy concerning its. non-interest in European politics. "No word has reached the State Department that Britain is contemplating offering a resolution to the Commission for the appointment of a Special Committee to consider naval limitations, .as was intimated in news despatches from Paris, and officials doubt whether such a proposal would be carried at the Geneva meeting, but if one of the Naval Powers made an informal proposal for Britain. Japan, and the F»iterl Sftes to consider naval limitation informally on the side during the .Oommis sion's deliberations, the United States might consider such a suggestion. SOVIET PARTICIPATION. REASONS OUTLINED. (AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z CABLE ASSOCIATION) (Received November 22nd, 5.30 p.m.) MOSCOW, November 21. Litvinoff, in a statement on the Soviet's purpose in sending a delegation to Geneva, .declares, "The Soviet has not hidden its lack of confidence in readiness of capitalist countries to abolish wars and disarm, despite Pacifists, and pseudo-Pacifists labelling the late world war, <The Last War.' "Tko League pretends that its main object is to ensure peace. It did not approach disarmament until 1924 and then deferred the convocation of a conference till 1925, and even now the date of the conference cannot be fixed. Similarly, the League's study of the reduction of war budgets since 1920, has been postponed sine die. The League's work has solely resulted in meaningless declarations and propositions. "Meanwhile, the Soviet has exerted efforts for ten years at least towards partial disarmament. The delegation now being sent to Geneva deprives our enemies of an opportunity of ascribing to the Soviet the failure of the conference and prevents the Soviet's neighbours from justifying their refusal to disarm. The Soviet, free from Imperialism, pursues a consistently peaceful policy. It has .proposed, and now proposes, a universal pact of non-aggres-sion, urging full and general disarmament. If this is impossible at one stroke, or within a short period, it should at least be attempted gradually. The delegation goes to Geneva with an independent programme and will endeavour to concentrate attention on stable guarantees for peace and will oppose diversion to questions of secondary importance or futile resolutions, making the conference the tool r of this or that group of States."