Christmas Card?

The constructive ideas which President Hoover has contributed cannot be allowed to pass like a Christmas message of good will that cheers its recipient for a moment and is forgotten. They must be exploited to the utmost.

The London Times

June 24, 1932

To make the world forget Mr. Hoover's constructive proposal to reduce armaments by one-third was the task to which Great Britain's most highly paid lawyer,* Sir John Simon, Foreign Secretary, devoted himself last week at Geneva.

On his week-end visit to London, tall, astute Sir John had apparently been convinced by the British Admiralty and General Staff that the President's proposals should be "allowed to pass like a Christmas message." In this purpose Sir John was ably abetted by the Government of Japan, grateful for the legal prowess he displayed in Japan's behalf when Manchuria was last up before the League (TIME, March 21). Peremptory instructions to oppose the Hoover program at all costs were cabled from Tokyo to Japan's Chief Delegate at Geneva, Ambassador Tsuneo Matsudaira, father-in-law of Japan's Crown Prince.

But there was no showdown last week in Geneva. The Japanese Ambassador did not utter his instructions, which were made known at Tokyo by the Foreign Office spokesman. Therefore they could be changed. President Hoover, through his Geneva representative and close friend Ambassador Hugh S. Gibson, made every effort to get his program debated by the Disarmament Conference, knowing that Italy, Spain and many a minor nation would champion it warmly.

Sir John Simon, usually urbane, emerged livid with rage from the rooms of conference with President Arthur Henderson, who favors full & free debate. But Sir John was not beaten. Twenty-four hours later Geneva heard: 1) that Great Britain would make counter proposals; 2) that the Hoover naval proposals would receive their first serious consideration at a meeting of the Big Five Naval Powers, Great Britain, U. S., Japan, France, and Italy.

If Ambassador Gibson scored any success at Geneva last week it was in bringing the French delegation around to a slightly less hostile attitude toward the President's proposals. In the House of Commons last week acting Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, Leader of the Conservative (Majority) Party, said: "We can't settle matters by merely declaring we agree with the United States. . . . The most dangerous thing we could do would be to say the thing could be achieved in a certain way without first examining all the details."

* Depression reduced Sir John to advertising for sale last week Fritwell Manor in Oxfordshire, his rural pleasure palace for almost 20 years. Lady Simon still appears at social functions in latest Paris creations, bedight with diamonds & pearls. They keep their dignified town residence.

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