Show I I INSIDE N 5 SI ID D E S 5 STUFF T I U F F The By News e PAUL Behind hb MALLON The t News I WASHINGTON WASHINGTON- The suggestion suggestion 1 tion will be scoffed officially but the United States now has the nearest thing to an international alliance since 1776 Nothing h has s been put on paper but that means little Signed agreements do not amount to much in these days of ot International international international lawlessness An exchange of or military confidences and a similarity sim aim of interests and purposes are arc far more trustworthy With such things are the current In Inside Inside Inside In- In side naval relations between the United States and Britain seemingly seem seem- scaled sealed Bonds It started back a few years ago when a necessity developed for naval cooperation In the far east At that time an entirely unofficial unofficial unofficial understanding was reached to prevent the American and BritIsh BritIsh British Brit- Brit Ish fleets from running into each other in the dark on the Pacific The unbinding relationship grew at the London naval confer conference conference con con- fer ference nce and has been f further expanded ex- ex ex cx- pan ed by developments in Europe Eur Eur- ur- ur ope opel during the the- thelast last few weeks The men behind the mast here nere generally know more now now than they ever did about British naval plans and purposes purposes and and vice versa Arrangements It has never been officially disclosed disclosed disclosed dis dis- dis- dis closed but the recent British de demand demand de- de mand inand for 25 new destroyers was no surprise here The British told our delegates at the London naval conference they were going to need more destroyers and more cruisers to meet the Italian naval threat in submarines and fast cruisers United States Ambassador Ambassador Ambassador Ambas Ambas- at Large Largo Norman Davis and Admiral Stanley told them privately and informally it was all right with us We had our reasons Our destroyer destroyer de de- de- de tonnage is now in excess of the old expiring treaty limit Britain's is over Now either cither of us could get around tho the already obsolete treaty by in invoking invoking in- in yoking the escalator clause of the new London agreement Or we could both scrap o our our r excess tonnage one minute before mIdnight midnight midnight mid mId- night December 31 and reinstate It o one one e minute later the tho old treaty merely promised reduction of de destroyer destroyer destroyer de- de tonnage to any anytime anytime anytime time before the treaty expires this year and nobody has reduced yet et But use of either of ot those de devices devices devices de- de vices individually by any anyone one nat nation nation na na- na- na t tion on would entail serious Japan scrapped the old treaty and resisted the new but she would not overlook any such opportunity to howl The two major major ma major ma- ma jor nations working together can accomplish a mutually desirable and practical purpose and not care who howls And this Is not the only important important important im im- im- im naval matter upon which Britain and the U. U S. S have worked together lately Note Note Note-Do Do not overlook the fact that the new naval bill now clearing congress carried funds for 12 new destroyers and six submarines as well as money for continuing construction of 20 de destroyers destroyers destroyers de- de and four submarines now building Herrings Frequent secret calls caUs which the British ambassador Sir Ronald Lindsay has been paying to the state department are not supposed to mean anything The explanation privately offered offered offered of of- by both American and British British British Brit Brit- ish sources is that he has merely been trying to save a British subject subject subject sub sub- from the tho hangman's rope The doomed man who has thus caused Sir Ronald more anxiety than he ordinarily devotes to an important diplomatic matter was Alexander MacKay convicted of ot v V. a sheriff in a celebrated California jail break Sir Ronald wanted to get him a new trial but failed Frequently callers at the WhiteHouse White House drop a small red herring in the form of a truthful announcement announcement announcement an an- concerning a a. minor matter they have discussed with the president in order to conceal a far lar more important matter which was discussed It happens less frequently at the state de department department department de- de but it happens Ganging Up lip The British are having a hard time making up their minds what to do about Mussolini They are more fearful of him than of ot any of the other autocratic regimes In Europe They believe one should be smashed to curb the tho rest and their choice Is Mussolini rather than Hitler The only thing they are aro not sure about is how to do doit it One thing you may expect is Is a anew anew anew new defensive alliance in the Med Mediterranean encompassing all the small powers who have a grievance grievance ance against 11 ii duce Debts One thing Britain and the U. U S. S have not worked out together however is war debts You may have noticed that the recent Franco British overtures slipped sUpped out of the headlines fast tast The reason is everyone here knows these grand proposed of offers offers offers of- of fers will wiIl probably amount to about a dime on the tho dollar or J less ss Our diplomats also have reason to suspect that the offer is bait Dait for American entry Into a redecorated League of Nations And even if the diplomats would like to consider such a proposition they know very well weIl that congress would not Copyright 1936 for The Telegram |