League of Nations or even to recognize its
existence. As President Harding had promised the American people some
substitute for the League of Nations, he decided, soon after coming
into office, to convene an international conference to consider the
limitation of armament on land and sea. By the time the Conference
convened it was evident that no agreement was possible on the subject
of land armament. It was recognized from the first that the mere
proposal to limit navies would be utterly futile unless effective steps
could be taken to remove some of the causes of international conflict
which make navies necessary. Therefore the formal invitation to the
Conference extended to the governments of Great Britain, France, Italy
and Japan, August 11, 1921, linked the subject of Limitation of
Armament with Pacific and Far Eastern Questions. The European powers
accepted the invitation without much enthusiasm, but Japan's answer was
held back for some time. She was reluctant to have the powers review
the course she had pursued in China and Siberia while they were at war
with Germany. After agreeing to attend the Conference, Japan
endeavored to confine the program to as narrow limits as possible, and
she soon entered into negotiations with China over the Shantung
question with the hope of arriving at a settlement which would prevent
that question from coming before the Conference. Invitations to the
Conference were later sent to the governments of Belgium, the
Netherlands, Portugal, and China. Portugal was interested because of
her settlement at Macao, the oldest European settlement in China.
Holland of course is one of the great colonial powers of the Pacific.
While Belgium has no territorial interests in the Orient, she has for
years been interested in Chinese financial matters.

The Washington Conference convened in plenary session November 12,
1921, in Memorial Continental Hall. Seats were reserved on the main
floor for press representatives, and the galleries were reserved for
officials and those individuals who were fortunate enough to secure
tickets of admission. The question of open diplomacy which had been
much discussed, was settled at the first session by Secretary Hughes,
who, in his introductory speech, boldly laid the American proposals for
the limitation of navies before the Conference. There were in all
seven plenary sessions, but the subsequent sessions did little more
than confirm agreements that had