Excerpts of the President's News Conference

I can't comment on any of the phases of the Security Pact Conference that is now being held at Locarno. At Cambridge on the third of July I expressed the general hope that a pact of that kind might be entered into on the part of European countries, and I am still of the opinion that that would be very helpful and I would be glad to reiterate the hope that this conference may be able to agree on the principle and form of a pact of that kind. Now, as I say, as to the particular phases of it and the different questions involved, I haven't any information that would warrant my expressing any opinion except in the general hope of the success of the Conference. I think it is exceedingly important that some agreement of this kind be made in order that there may be a cessation of the uncertainties and the constant preparations for defense and the armaments that are going on in Europe.