In response to public pressure, Herbert Hoover along with leaders from 31 other nations including France, USSR and Germany came together for the Second Geneva Naval Conference to discuss disarmament. This conference also known as the World Disarmament Conference gathered in Geneva Switzerland to focus on naval disarmament, but also included discussions on land forces and weapons. The conference made some progress, but ultimately failed to achieve it's goals. France and Germany could not agree on terms. The French wanted to be certain that if they reduced the size of their armed forces they would not be threatened by Germany. Then, when Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, he claimed that Germany was already disarmed and the other countries should follow its lead. In October of 1933, Hitler pulled out of the conference and began to ignore the restrictions imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles. The Disarmament conference and the League of Nations did nothing about it. The U.S., Soviet Union and the League of Nations continued to meet until 1937 when Italy withdrew from the League of Nations. The cartoon shown above was from 1937, and speaks of the failed attempts by the world leaders to reach any form of disarmament.
In Herbert Hoover's 1932 annual addressed to congress he announced America's active engagement in the World Disarmament Conference. He tied the success of military disarmament to economic gains and reduction of tax burdens. Disarmament "would thus open new vistas of economic expansion for the world"
"We have actively engaged in a World Disarmament Conference where, with success, we should reduce our own tax burdens and the tax burdens of other major nations. We should increase political stability of the world. We should lessen the danger of war by increasing defensive powers and decreasing offensive powers of nations. We would thus open new vistas of economic expansion for the world."
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=23376
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneva_Conference_(1932)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Disarmament_Conference
http://www.dhahranbritish.com/history/A8_Disarmament.htm
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/World_Disarmament_Conference_Low.jpg
http://media1.shmoop.com/media/images/large/herbert-hoover.jpg
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