To the Editor of the "NonrH-CHiNA Dairy News"
Sm,—The statement by Sir Thomas Inskip in the course of a speech at Ecoles a few days ago to the effect that these are sad days for the apostles of appeasement. deserves more attention than it has yet received. It is evidence from a man in high authority that all is not well in this best of all conciliatory worlds, and that even the British Government, most facile of optimists, are beginning to see the writing on the wall. Little is now heard of that beautiful slogan "this is peace in our time." In its place we have much talk of an impending National Register, and still more of guns and planes and other things. This is all io the good. The only pity is that responsible British statesmen were ever able to delude themselves, and apparently many others, with the belief that a farseeing Almighty had kindly, but with due respect for the salt of the earth, relieved Britain from the necessity of meeting aggrossers with their own weapons.
Tu face of the gathering crisis, is it perhaps too much to hope that even (Editors of British newspapers in the 4 Far East will give up their habit of castigating the natural Allies of Britain in the extraordinarily grave 3 situation now existing, or is it still proudly thought that charges against the USSR of lack of preparation for war and failure to honour Treaties, charges often repeated and singularly lacking in evidence, are likely to cement the bonds of tolerance which should unite mighty States with at least one objective in common—the objective of maintaining their territory against aggressors?
It is possible of course that the damage already inflicted by British politicians on the principle of collective security is irreparable, and that the Government of the USSR have chine to the conclusion, based on the retreat of Britain wherever her interests ' are threatened (in Spain, Central Europe, the Mediterranean and the Far East), that for them the only policy possible; following the British and French betrayal of the League of Nations, is one of strict defence of their borders to the exclusion of all outside commitments. The practical application of this policy is in fact to be seen in the extraordinary development of the Red Army now proceeding, and in the much greater prominence now given in all parts of the USSR to the varied activities of that formidable force as the chief, and probably only, trustworthy agency for the protection of peace within the boundaries of the Soviet Union.
The failure of Britain frankly to face the grim realities of the present political situation will have the gravest consequences for world peace, and I write this letter with little hope that capitalist contradictions within Britain itself will permit even one practical step to be taken in the direction of collective security—the only hope for peace in our time.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.