Pens to Treaty

Completion of the London Naval Treaty last week terminated President Hoover's ''gentleman's agreement" with Prime Minister MacDonald that Britain and the U. S. should suspend all naval building while the London Conference was in session.

This being so, His Majesty' s Government began to "examine the situation at their great Singapore naval base with a view to undertaking its completion. Similarly the major U. S. naval shipyards awoke to life.

At Washington the Navy Department pointed out that the London Treaty permits the U. S. to build ten more "large cruisers" (i. e., 10,000-tonners with eight-inch guns), which is five less than the 15 cruisers Congress authorized in 1929.

Today the U. S. has but 80,000 tons ol such cruisers, of which only 20,000 tons, or. two cruisers, are in commission. At the prospect of building 100,000 more tons, that is, of more than doubling the U. S. large cruiser fleet, honest workmen rejoiced in shipyard cities throughout the

a The Hoover-MacDonald "gentleman's agreement" suspended work on the 10,000-ton cruiser C. L. 32 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard (rated 1.6% complete, March 1, 1030); on the C. L. 33 at the Bethlehem Steel Yards (7.2% complete). Three others have been assigned to yards: The C. L. 34 to Bremerton Navy Yard; the C. L. 35 to Camden's new shipbuilding yard; the C L 36 to Philadelphia Navy Yard, accounts for half of the 100,000 tons to be built the other half never having been assigned. Navy men were confident last week that President Hoover cannot and will not attempt to delay further the work authorized by Congress, interrupted by his --gentleman's agreement."

Cruiser Parity. As Delegate-Senator Robinson (Dem.) pointed out by radio from London last week, Britain has laid down so many more war boats than the U S since the War that, even though the construction soon to begin will more than double the U. S. large-cruiser fleet, this will mean not superiority but mere catching up to "parity" with Britain.

"Parity" in cruisers is to be reached thus: Britain to have a superiority in. "small" cruisers (i. e. with 6-inch guns) of 48,700 tons and a superiority in small and large cruisers combined of 15,500 tons; but the U. S. to have superiority tn large cruisers only of 33,200 tons.

Lest anyone should suppose that this "parity" was worked out with the aid the once famed but now forgotten "Scientific Naval Yardstick" called for by President Hoover (TIME, May 6, et seq.), senator Robinson said: "Prolonged investigation of the subject led to the conclusion that no scientific basis exists for measuring the difference in value between large 8-inch gun cruisers and vessels carrying 6-inch guns."

Speed Record. Seasoned diplomats called the 32 hours flat in which the Treaty, was rushed on to paper at London by Chairman Dwight Whitney Morrow of the drafting committee "easily a record.

Record-breaker Morrow had three pacemakers: Mr. George Rublee, smart Washington lawyer, Rear Admiral Arthur J Hepburn, and that leading career diplomat First Secretary George A. Gordon of the Paris Embassy, the "continuing expert" who has functioned for the U. S. through all disarmament negotiations since the Coolidge Geneva Conference (TIME, June 27, et seq.)

"Aren't you tired, Mr. Morrow?' asked a correspondent when the Treaty was complete and had received the O. K of Washington and Tokyo, in fact was all but signed.

"If I look tired," shot back the dapper, dynamic father-in-law, "if I look tired, gentlemen, I do not look the truth! The fact is I feel in better shape than at any time since I left home." Then, with his singularly winning way, the little tycoon showed reporters galley sheets of the Treaty they were itching to get at. "I would be happy to give it to you " san Mr Morrow, his voice unmistakably sincere, "but it happens that I can't, and am sorry."

Signing at St. James. To sign the Treaty Mr. MacDonald returned from Scotland where he had been "resting." Messrs. Stimson and Wakatsuki from country estates near London, M. Briand from Paris. Signor Dino Grandi sent a last-minute wire from Rome to say he was unable to return because of "indisposition" and "accumulated work at home," delegated one Admiral Sivianni to append Italy's signature.

Sole Emperor. The preamble to the Treaty (binding nobody) which the chief delegates of all five Powers signed at pompous St. James palace reads:

"The President of the United States of America, the President of the French Republic, His Majesty the King of Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Dominions beyond the seas, His Majesty the King of Italy, and His Majesty the Emperor of Japan* desiring to prevent the dangers and reduce the burdens inherent in competitive armaments, and desiring to carry forward the work begun in the Washington Naval Conference and to facilitate the progressive realization of general limitation and reduction of armaments, have resolved, with a view to accelerating these purposes, to conclude a Treaty for the Limitation of Naval Armaments." Having got this opening out of the way, Drafter Morrow next performed a feat of diplomatic contortionism at which experts of the British Foreign Office voiced "astonished admiration." They could not recall ever having seen before a five-power Treaty most clauses of which bind only three Powers (U. S., Britain, Japan), yet with other clauses binding the two other Powers

(France, Italy) as well, and the whole so written that the five parliaments concerned may ratify or fail to ratify in any order, yet, no matter what happens, the Treaty comes into effect when, and only when ratified by the U. S., Britain and Japan.

Treaty Content. France and Italy are bound by the clause declaring a "capital ship holiday" until 1935 (when another naval conference will meet), and by the clause "humanizing submarine warfare" (TIME, Feb. 24 et seq.), which Senator Robinson said last week he fears belligerents in the next war will be "tempted to violate."

The rest of the Treaty (exclusively binding the U. S., Britain, Japan) lays down the principle of Anglo-U. S. "parity" and assigns different ratios in each ship category to Japan. She receives parity with the U. S. and Britain in submarines, gets inferiority of various degrees in other types of war boat.

In case the U. S., Britain or Japan wishes to build above the tonnages assigned by the Treaty, the dissatisfied nation is permitted to announce that it is threatened by some fourth Power, such as France, Italy or Russia, and may then build more war boats without limit.

This is permitted under the "Escape Clause," "Safeguard Clause," "Contingent Clause" or "Escalator Clause" (as it is variously called) of the Treaty. It renders the reduction (or limitation') clauses of the Treaty non-binding and purely voluntary. It does not affect the clauses fixing the ratios to be maintained among the U. S., Britain and Japan, for if one of these takes the "escalator" up the others are allowed to follow proportionally.

The Significance: "Good Intentions." Chief U. S. Delegate Henry Lewis Stimson, broadcasting from London on what "to me, is the significance and encouragement of the Conference, said that in the light of History it has advanced the nations on the way of limitation.

"We have now before us not only definite objective, but a concrete method of getting at it ... something to work on, to get our teeth into. . . . President Hoover laid his finger upon the best method. . . . Hard work and constant vigilance . . . will translate good intentions into practical realities."

*The sole emperor represented. George V, emperor only of India (no signatory), figures this Treaty merely as "King."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.