DISARMAMENT

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 46, 24 February 1930, Page 11

DISARMAMENT

AMERICA FAVOURABLE

VIEW OF LEAGUE OF NATIONS

Aii explanation of the attitude of the United States towards disarmament was given to-day by Dr., C. E. Martin, Professor of History and Dean of the Faculty of Political Science, of the University of Washington. Dr. Martin is a through passenger by the Tahiti, which arrived at Wellington this morning, en route from Sydney to San Francisco. Dr. Martin said the Government and people of the United States wanted disarmament. They were ready and prepared to disarm by agreement, but not by example. ' !. "In the United States," said Dr. Martin,.'.'there are two schools of thought with regard to this question. One believes that armaments gouorate war. They say, 'Disarm, and wo will have no war.' The other school beliovcs that war generates armaments.'; They say, 'Get rid of war as an institution, and you will get rid of armaments.' In other words, you havo a security group as against a disarmament group. "We are very concerned abouf this particular conference. We..must feel that somo responsibility for the failure of the Geneva Conference must fall on the United States. One reason for the 'failure was the predominance of the military mind. > That has been remedied, and to-day our naval men are there to answer < questions and not to dictate the policy of the United States." -

Explaining why > tho* United States had held aloof from tho League of Nations, Dr. Martin said that, among the foremost reasons,, was the fear of political consequences, and the disinclination of the American people to commit themselves in advance ■ of • contingencies. Again, there were tho current disappointments with the League that were found all over the world. For one thing, the League had.not outlawed war. For another, the territorial guarantee had been practically rejected, not only by the United States, but by the members of the League. "On the other hand," said Dr. Martin, "we are participating in the economic, intellectual, financial, and cultural work, and in. the non-political activities of the League. The time may come when we will participate in the political activities." ,