Sept.
Rightly or wrongly Mr. Neville Chamber-spiration which hi a better understanding between Great Britain and Italy. "Mr. Anthony Eden received from Mr, Chamberlain's predecessor generous support but it seemed at times that Mr. Stanley (now Earl) Baldwin paradoxically wealonod his Cabinet's teamwork by giving some ministers too free a hand. This overstraln=
{ng of the system of decentralization was apt {to militate against the doctrine of Cabinet responsibility and consequently exposed. individual ministers to danger in times of crisis, as Mr. Eden's immediate predecessor, Sit Semuol Hoare, found in December 1035 when the disastrous conversations with M. Pierre Laval gave Lord Baldwin one of his most unhappy experiences as Prime Minister. Despite reports to the contrary there 1s every reason to believe that Mr. Eden and his present chief are in thorough rapport, but Mr. 'Chamberlain takes more direct interest' in Foreign Affairs than did Lord Baldwin and consequently, without diminishing the prestige fof the Foreign Secretaryship, the Prime Minister lets it be seen that he is alertly in touch with the day-to-day developments in the office opposite his own official residence. This tends to reinforce Mr, Eden's handling. of affairs and anyone who appreciates the abundant complexity of the various problems ow within his portfolio will agree that the change should be beneficial to the country, fas well og encouraging to a much-harassed Foreign Secretary. Whether eventually Mr. Eden will go down to history us a great me cumbent of his present office it is happily not necessary for a current commentator 10 decide. He has been fortunate in receiving strong official backing to supplement the more precarious favour of a not always dis criminating public opinion which originally seemed to give him his appointment. Not little has he owed to the generosity of a colleague, for it is an open secret that Lord Halifax was originally designed to succeed to in office for which his qualifications, family traditions "and experience clearly destined him, "Not only has Lord Halifax boon content to dignity an office without portfolio but he has constantly been at hand as "an ever~ watchful guardian" ready to check any dis position to "indiscriminate caress" as well as fo bear the burden of Foreign policy in moments of emergency, Lord Halifax, in short, has been a useful elder statesman without having qualified by years for that Important if non-descript position, This Is said in no desire to minimize Mr., Eden's achievements, It merely shows. that certain commitments which might have been embarrassing to him in dealing with Fascist Moly and Nazi Germany alike have been deprived of their invidious significance by, the team-work #0, well developed under Mr. Chamberlain. 'The solution of the serious ferisis over the submarine pirates must.be aliributed in great measure to the new spirit which Mr. Chamberlain has managed to Infuse into' the Government, Italy has been shown that her claims ds a great Mediterranean Power were in no danger of being ignored, especially by u nation which has Jong recognized her fine naval traditions, Nor (Continued on page 473.)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.