Excerpts of the President's News Conference

I don't know who will have charge of the contempt proceedings in the case of Harry F. Sinclair. I suppose they will proceed in the usual way that those cases proceed. I don't recall ever having noticed one of those cases before. I suppose the general way is to certify to the District Attorney of the District of Columbia, who then takes charge of it. I haven't any definite knowledge about it.

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I have one or two inquiries about the amendment to the Naval Appropriations Bill for calling another Disarmament Conference to complete the work of the Washington Conference. Our Government has made no inquiries about that of foreign governments, so far as I know. I think I have stated once or twice my position about it. There were some things that our Government would have been glad to do at the Washington Conference which we were unable to accomplish. It may be that there is an opportunity arising in the near future, though I don't think it appears to be here at present, for taking up some of those questions and getting a solution to them. If that should appear to be the case, why it would be in order to consider it. My general opinion has been that in the present condition of Europe, it would not be of any use to approach them with any general suggestion about a disarmament conference, or a further disarmament conference, though I suppose everyone knows what the American position was and what the agenda proposed by the American Government required, and that some of those positions were not met. The American Government at the present time I feel certain would be glad to have those positions met that were proposed at that time. I should think that the first thing to do would be to consider what would be the agenda at a conference of that kind. A general disarmament conference, I think, would be hopeless of accomplishing very much at its very outset. Then there are other matters of consideration that might be taken up—undertaking to see what could be done about international laws, which our country had in mind for such a long time but on which it could not get any action.