"In two parts of the world far removed from each other, southwestern Europe and the Far East, wars were raging" declared Mr. Eden at the outset of his speech.
Whatever the military outcome of the events in the Far East, he said, it must inevitably result in the impoverishment of both nations engaged in the conflict.
Great Britain regretted—these events more deeply not only because of her great commercial interests in ihe Far East but also because, just previously to the outbreak of the conflict, "we were actually having consultations with the Government which might have led to a programme of international cooperation with the Chinese Government, naturally for the improvement of relations and the development of trade.
"These conversations were interrupted immediately the conflict broke out, and a resumption is clearly impossible in the present circumstances."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.