HIM, Government earnestly hope! that the nations attending the London conference may by agreement fon reduced Naval strengths register their confidence in the great advance made since the War in the provision of national security by political agreement.
HIM. Government desire to remove the error upon which this observation: rests. In response to the better prospects of peace and of International agreements, British proposals, as a matter of fact, provide for very considerable reduction in the strength, which the British Empire has considered necessary in all categories of combative vessels from capital ships to submarines.
Regat ing the reference in the he. French memorandum to the system of the limitation of Naval Armaments by global tonnage, the reply states that the British Government have consistently expressed their preference for dealing with the problem of Naval Disarmament by strict limitation of types, tonnage and guns of all categories of warships, since they feel confident that any other method of limitation must tend to preserve those elements of competition and uncertainty which will be one of the expressed objects of the conference to eli "The problem of Naval Arm Jments," the reply continues "involves not only the amount of tonnage but the uso to which it is put. Nevertheless H.M. Government has studied with great care the transactional proposal to which the French Government refer and Jare ready to discuss the possibility of some arrangement based upon that proposal."
Two Documents Complementary HIM. Government observe with interest the distinction drawn in the French memorandum between the Pact of Paris and the Covenant of the League of Nations. They would suggest, however, that two documents may also be regarded as complementary one of the other. From this stand point, the Paris Treaty, which is a renunciation of war as an instrument of National policy, may be held by the States which are members of the League of Nations. to have completed the structure of peace which in the more restricted language of the Covenant and for the time, was left unfinish-fed.
'HM. Government accept fully and unreservedly all the obligations -of the Covenant which, however, must not be held to involve delay in progressive steps towards disarmament for which the Pact of Paris is the Sustification.
HIM. Government note the suggestions of the French: Government that it is doubtless due to the absence from the Kellogg Pact of any provisions for its methodical application that they have been barred from contemplating any con siderable reduction in their Naval Establishments.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.