London, Oct. 12.
The United States delegation to the preliminary naval disarmament negoations here is fully prepared with. its answer to any proposal the J Panese delegates may make for Abolition of the existing navel ratios, the United Press learned on good authority to-day.
Dispatches from Japan for many' weeks have indicated that the Japanese Government is unalterably opposed to the present ratios, and, while the Japanese programme remains to be made known officially, nothing has been said by officials at Tokyo to destroy the belief here that the "unofficial description of the Japanese policy is substantially correct.
To any formal proposal to abolish the present ratios, the United States. delegates may be expected immediarely to reply with the suggestion that, Article 19 of the Washington naval. treaty be eliminated or at least drastically revised. This article is the: tone which restricts the fortifeation of possessions in the Pacific Ocear Elimination of Article 19, it is pointed out in diplomatic circles here, Would re-open the possibility strengthening existing American. naval and air bases in the Philippine Islands and Hawaii. Of at least equal importance would be the freedom, given to the United States to establish extensive new bases at other points, as in the Aleutian Islands, only a step from the Japanese mainland.
A large air base might be established on Guam, a development on which it is hardly to be expected Japanese mullltary circles" would "look with Tt if considered highly probable that in the event of the Washington treaty being revised in this respect, Great Britain would be impelled 10 enlarge her naval and aly facilities at Hongkong, Representatives of both the United States and Great Britain, it ig understood, will make at the outset of the negotiations a determined effort to induce Japan to reconsider any intention she harbours at present 10, @enounce the present treaty.
Opinion as to the probable outcome of the negotiations is divided here at Dresent—United Press, Importance of Bases Minimized Tokyo, Oct. 13, Dispatches from London predicting that the United States naval delegation will suggest revision or elimination of the Washington Treaty provisions regulating Pacific fortify: tions were frankly puzzling Tokyo naval circles to-day, although authorities here professed themselves unworried by this new development.
At was pointed out here that the expected termination of the Washing-fon pact will naturally include the death warrant of Article 19 of that agreement, which contains the pray visions dealing with fortifications, Japanese naval authorities were represented as believing that increased fortifications, with a reduction of offensive mobile naval strength, would be highly preferable to an increase in the number of capital ships and aircraft-carriers.
Tt Is also believed in naval circles here, it was reported, that technical improvements in capital ships will Increase their cruising radius, which, with the development of aircrattcarriers, would tend greatly to min-mize the importance of naval bases, Authoritative sources declared that American, British and other experts fon sea power believe "the Navy's the thing," because bases cannot mo into another territory and are not vital to movements of great capital ships—United Press.
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