NAVAL AGREEMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 24 September 1928, Page 6

NAVAL AGREEMENT

FRANCE AND BRITAIN. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—^Copyright). ! LONDON, Sept. 22. A considerable stir ha* been produced in London and Paris by the fact of the Heaust press in America publishing a letter dealing with the AngloFrench naval compromise. The letter itself is certainly not a compromise. This consists qf only twenty-five or thirty lines of clear, precise, technical phrases. Summed up the terms limit the construction of large cruisers and large submarines, and allow liberty in the construction of other classes, alfvays within the Washington .agreement. That is all Aero is. Nothing is secret. It is not a military alliance of any sort. Only five copies of the compromise exist. These al v e possessed by the Foreign Offices in London, Paris, Washington, Rome and Tokio. The Quai P’Orsay, Paris, admits that .no publication appears to be based on a letter from M. Briaiid (French Fdsngn Minister) to the French Embassies. There is much perturbation as to where-the leakage occurred.

“The Times’’ -says: The evidence shows that both Britain and France have been -struggling hard to find a way out of a. deadlock in order to assist the Disarmament Commission. The compromise is put, forward as a possible basis; for a oalm reasonable disoussion-, but the atmosphee has been poisoned bv a prolonged campaign of misrepresentation. The motives of both Governments were- good, but they committed an. unfortunate error of procedure. The world being nshat it is, and the Presidential election being in progress in the United States, they should have published forthwith their innocuous agreement. BRITISH COMMENT ON DISCLOSURES. RUGBY, Sept. 21. British official circles naturally can not comment on the authenticity or otherwise of a document belonging to another Power, which the American newspaper publishes, although the terms 1 of the 1 reproduced naval compromise are accurate, except for the -reference'to the tonnage o-f ocean go-ing-submarines;' Such vessels are reckoned" as deep water craft when they exceed 000 and hot 60000 tons, as stated in'’the American report. The official publication of the compromise * it' is necessary to empjha'sis has been postponed pending - the ro ceipt frbiti the chief naval Powers,; t< whom it had been 'cpmmiinicated,' o r •rneir ooriiments upnn it, as'a possiibl basis for discussion n-t a. pre-parater eouference on disarmaments. Con trary to rumours, continually in some quarters, the full terms, arid not cjsly .part -of' them, were cpniinumi-ca-t-ed to- tlie United States,,- Japanese and Italian Governments sp-me week;' -•ago'.-' '’ltd is understood '.that the Japan-ese-arid Italian Covernni’ents have ,notified , Paris'and L-orido.n that they ar-' disposed to !e‘ favoura fily irripres c ed lr the 1: pvoposa.ls - a,s • a ' basfs for discus-’ : ri>sh 1! bn t ■ i n the abseil ce b f a reph from Washington tire publir-atiori o' the proposals has' >beeri delayed, ir ■ accordance with'the usual'procedure ii such' Unfortunately, the norma’ 'procedure has in tMs instance provoked nii unprecedented crop of rumours which entirely misinterpreted the purpose, extent, and aim of the compro mi so. True facts are -that the p-roigres at the Preparatory Commission for tin disarmament conference, for a V-

period delayed the difference of view on the system of reckoning naval ton ha-go, the leading protagonists beinr the British a.nd French representatives.

AMUR iC VS ATTITUDE. WASHINGTON, Sept. 21. The draft of America’s reply to tin British- and French Governments or the naval limitation question was under' preparation by the JJ.S.A. StaL Department' to-day, for submission, t" President Coolidge. The , opinion is expressed that,.tin reply will probably set forth that r definite expression from the Unitec' ctates is impossible in the absence of more explicit information’ from Entail a‘nd France concerning the character of the record which they have reached as to naval matters.

It is understood that the United States would be represented at tin next session of the Preparatory Arm ai*.ent_ Commission at Geneva, and if so. whether America’s attendance would be more than a perfunctory -one. The. State Department officials declined to comment upon the Paris despatch printed by the Henrst papers today purporting to give the text of p letter from .the French Foreign Ministry to ite diplomats: abroad, outlining the sqppe of the Anglo-French 1 ini i tat io n un d e rsta nd in g.

A FRENCI-l PAPER’S RESUNTMENT. PARIS, * egpt 22. The French press is surprised at the Hearst papers’ publication of the socalled secret clauses of the Anglo-Fire-nch Naval Agreement. “Le Matin” describes is as “sensational bluff’’ and says it really is a prevarication designed to impress public opinion but that* it will have no effect on the American Government.