The United States had participate that meeting and signed the agreement only because of the insistent attitude of the European nations most concerned. The United States had always adopted a more less rigorous policy concerning international trade in arms. and had no direct interest in the situation which the Saint Germain agreement sought to clarify. As. this nation is one of the largest manufacturers of arms, however, the European nations felt that' any agreement reached, without the United States being' included, would be a useless gesture as American manufacturers could then, if they were so minded, go into the international arms trade without competition from European manufacturers. As a friendly gesture, signifying the desire of the United States to ce-operate with other countries in curbing all such things, as well as a sign of goodwill, the United States, therefore, partic cipated in the Saint Germain meeting.
When it came to a question of formal ratifications of the pact, however, the United States balked. As Secretary of State Hughes pointed out in communications with the other signatories of the arms control pact the agreement was £0 closely interwoven with the League of Nations that the United States not a member of the League, could not formally give its absent to the Socument, Secretary Hughes sls0 pointed out that the United States 15 not in a position to control the private manufacturer of arms as celled for by the agreement. The United States, being a federalized form of government, exercised 0 control of manufacture in the various states of the Union, Seeretary Hughes pointed out, whereas the European countries the highly centralized form of government in existence made it possible for the governments to regulate the private manufacture of arms in any port of the country.
At the same time Secretary Nughes pointed out other features Of the pact which made it impossible for the United States to give its formal ratification to the agreement despite the fact that this coun-was in full sympathy with the end desired, The European nations felt that without the the United States the agreement would not have the effect desired and as a result no effort to secure European ratifications. Instead, in notes to Secretary Hughes, they quired whether the United States would be willing to participate in 'a general conference on the question. at which the views of the United {States could be ascertained at the ime the actual agreement was be-1 worked out.
With that beginning an informal commission, consisting of various representatives of the principal of world powers, meeting at Gereva, worked out a draft conver for the control of international twaffc which was designed to be the agenda "for a meeting of nations. to held to clarify the entire issue. At various times dur-Jing the course of the informal [meetings Joseph Grew, then Minister to Switzerland and now Undersecretary of State, and Hugh Gibson, now Minister to Switzerland, participated in the meetings and assisted in drawing up the propos-pact.
The American Delegation The American delegation is head-by Theodore E. Burton, with Mr. Burton are Minister Gibson, Rear Admiral A. T. Long, Bri General Colden L'H. Ruggles, Assistant Chief of Ordance, and Allen Ww., Chief of the Division stern Affairs in the State Charles E. Herring, I Attache at Berlin; Alan F Winslow, Secretary of the Lega tion at Berne; Major George V. Strong and Commander Herbert F. fact as expert advisors to the commission.
The draft convention, which is the agenda for the meeting, in brief, provides:
1—For the classifation of arms parts, which may be used puntgns asgnbled oF ngs exportation, in time of peace, arms and munitions" in the frst der a strict lee by' the exporting and distributing' tion "concerning international {ras rtp et an a tate bares all nations will report.
4'-The establishment of prohibited zones from which arms and munitions of war will be barred. of the control of hip ments of amt on land ~Vrovision Permanent Court of International Just court of arbitration Utes "between the brewing out of internation One of the chief stumbling blocks to the success of the conference is the fact that the draft convention still intertwines the control of arms, to a certain extent, with the League of Nations. Because of the import. ance of that question to the United {Stater, American delegates will: not [agree to any completed pact unless every vestige of Lease con-li trol has been removed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.