Two Powers: Two Men

Some sort of greeting, some sort of banquet, had to be tendered by Britons, last week, to Ambassador Alanson Bigelow Houghton who had just returned from New York to his post in London.

Undeniably the situation was awkward. Nearly every British newspaper and review had said, last month, what a shame it was that Mr. Houghton had resigned as Ambassador (TIME, Oct. 8) and sailed for New York, to stand for one of the Senatorial seats from that state as a Republican. When the Republican candidate was elected President of the U. S., casual Britons supposed that Mr. Houghton must have been elected too, and that they had seen the diplomatic last of him. But instead he was defeated, and so he was back in London last week as Ambassador--and so a banquet really had to be arranged. By some Briton's happy thought the banquet was tendered to Alanson Bigelow Houghton by the London Newsvendors Benevolent Association.

Anxious to put their distinguished guest at ease, the newsvendors invited to sit beside him jovial Viscount Lee of Fareham, who is just now ferreting into corruption at Scotland Yard as Chairman of the Royal Commission on Police Powers and Procedure. The prominence of the chairman's police activities probably disarmed any suspicion on Ambassador Houghton's part that Viscount Lee, who used to be First Lord of the Admiralty, would try to draw him out on the delicate subject of Anglo-U. S. naval rivalry. Lord Lee did just that. Worse, he raised a preliminary laugh at the Guest of Honor's expense. Turning to big, tortoise-spectacled Mr. Houghton and then to the newsvendors, Lord Lee cheerily remarked:

"I trust the American Ambassador is bearing a sprig of olive branch in his mouth, and has come back to us in the guise of a dove rather than that of an eagle."

Seemingly the newsvendors thought this pleasantry excruciating. When decorum was at last restored. Lord Lee said, in dead earnest: "It would be foolish to pretend that at this moment all is as well as it should be or as it has been between England and America. But as one who has been in charge of the British Admiralty's policy and a member of the Cabinet, it seems to me that there is much that is unreal, even absurd, in this naval controversy.

"What's the use of quibbling about the relative strength of the two fleets when, in any future contingency, the American and British fleets will almost certainly be found alongside each other? It is very significant that President Coolidge is holding the door open for British suggestions regarding naval disarmament.

"The best method of arriving at agreement as to the relative strength of our navies would be, I think, to delegate the matter to a commission of two, one American and one Englishman. Naval experts should not be permitted to embarrass the deliberations of these two statesmen. . . . I feel that Mr. Baldwin and Mr. Hoover or the Earl of Balfour and Mr. Hughes would agree where no conference of admirals or experts could."

Hearty newsvendor cheers burst forth as Lord Lee resumed his seat. Then as Mr. Houghton rose the assemblage stilled, mouse quiet. Perhaps words of moment to the Peace of the World were about to fall. Ponderously the American Ambassador drew a folded sheaf of papers from his breast pocket, smoothed them, cleared his throat, adjusted his tortoiseshells and began to read: ". . . seize with pleasure this occasion to express my profound respect for the British press . . . admirable tone, balance and sense . . . the American press partially superseded by the use of radio during our national campaign . . . auspicious occasion . . . heartfelt thanks."

Clearing his throat, taking a sip of water, and folding up his prepared speech, Alanson Bigelow Houghton sat down without mentioning the issue raised by Lord Lee of Fareham. But Manhattan dailies, and many another throughout the U. S., carried editorials approving Lord Lee's suggestion for a two-Power two-man conference.