Nov. 29.
Oxe of the very best things to have happened at Lausanne has been the statement of the Soviet standpoint on the Dardanelles given by M. Rakowski, the first of the Russian delegation to arrive. M. Rakowski's pronouncement has the merit of possessing certain degree of frankness, and Where that comes to an end con: lecture as to the Soviet's real {motives becomes simple. M. Rakowski says As regards the Straits, Russia favoured passage for all vessels unhindered between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, but men-of-war must not enter the Black Sea. Rus-{Sia would prefer the Straits to be controlled by the bordering. States; than by" the British Fleet. M. Rakowski suggested that the real freedom of the Straits would best be assured by putting them in Turkey's hands, That last sentence is illuminating, but we fancy that somebody with intimate experience of the case such as Sir Ian Hamilton would _be found to disagree profoundly. M. Rakowski has given the show away nicely when he says that Russia would prefer the Straits to to be controlled by the bordering States than by the British Vleet. By ''bordering States'' he obviously means a very large pro: portion of Turkey, with other {countries in a position of so very minor importance as to be almost negligible, and furthermore he may be taken to emphasize the point that the one factor in the situation for which the politicians of Angora and Moscow have any real respect is the British Fleet. The diplomatic representatives of the interested countries may prove plastic in the hands of the Turk and Russian negotiators, but so long as the Navy is there the command of the Straits cannot pass into their hands, and moreover they have nothing to offer as a quid pro quo for its removal. In such circumstances the Soviet delegates' first task is to foster jealousy of the British Fleet's commanding position and to create distrust of British motives.
In the present temper of the European Powers it is to be feared that that will be a work only too simple. The conflict British and French policy in the Near East has already done sufficient harm, and with Bulgaria now separated from the resuscitate ed Balkan' League, there are troubled: waters enough for the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.