A Soviet delegation changes the political balance of the conference as well as its naval arithmetic. Britain, the United States, and France form the democratic half of the table, while Italy, Japan, and the Soviet Union form the authoritarian half. Japan was not a dictatorship, so "authoritarian" is only a practical approximation for this discussion. Every delegation would also be negotiating under the financial strain of the Great Depression. Those political divisions and financial pressures could make the talks more volatile before the participants argued over a single ton of shipping.
Notable Point · 2:25-4:28
Conference politics under the Great Depression
Adding the Soviet Union would leave three democracies and three authoritarian governments negotiating naval limits amid the financial pressures of the Great Depression.