Statement on the Treaty for the Limitation and Reduction of Naval Armament

The President said:

"The real issue in the treaty is whether we shall stop competitive naval building with all the destruction and dangers to international good will which continuation on these courses implies; whether we shall spend an enormous sum in such a race to catch up with competitors, with no assurance that we will reach parity and proportionate strength even with such an expenditure; and whether the present agreement gives us a substantial parity and proportionate strength and therefore with our army absolute defensive power; and accomplishes this by an agreement which makes for good will, for decrease in the naval armament of the world, and puts our program of naval renewals and cruiser construction at a cost far less than would otherwise be required.

"The treaty revises the battleship program of the Washington Arms Conference in such a fashion that we reduce the battleship tonnage of the world by 230,230 tons, in which the United States scraps three battleships, Great Britain five battleships, Japan one battleship, and in addition to this, postpones the enormous construction program of the Washington Arms Treaty until after 1936. We attain parity of our battleship fleets almost at once instead of 10 years hence. We accomplish it without building a single new ship. The aircraft, destroyer, and submarine programs of the treaty are fair and meet with substantially no criticism and represent a decrease in destroyers and submarines.

"Against the great battleship saving our cruiser program increases from 300,000 tons to 320,000 tons. The point at issue in the cruiser program is whether or not we should have 30,000 tons more of cruisers with 8-inch guns advocated by the Navy Board, or 38,500 tons with 6-inch guns provided by this treaty. Upon the merits or demerits of these alternatives as to this very small part of the fleet of about 1,125,000 tons, our naval advisers are sharply divided.

"The Senate, through two of its Members upon the delegation, has had a practical participation in every step in the making of the treaty. There is not one scintilla of agreement or obligation of any character outside the treaty itself."