The conduct of the British case has been notable for
its candour and earnestness, and though the United States is _ thoroughly entitled to disagree we could wish that opinion in America would not read into our policy intentions which certainly are not there. A good deal of opinion in the United States expresses itself somewhat after this fashion : " Natur- ally Great Britain wants the United States to promise not to build capital ships after 1931 larger than 25,000 or 30,000 tons, because Great Britain is already building two ships of 35,000 tons each. As no party to the Washington Treaty can lay down more capital ships before 1931 Great Britain is really _asking the United States to sign away her rights of equality in the immediate future. So again with the British proposal that the lives of ships should be extended ; Great Britain and Japan both say that this would mean an enormous economy. We do not dispute that, but it is obvious that the effect would be to deprive the United States of the right of equality for a still longer period."
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