London, June 22.
With all the tery enthusiasm of his former campaigning days, Mr. /D. Lloyd George, the War-time Prime Minister, again sounds the clarion jeall (o the Beiitgh people to. its {traditional mission played in international politics throughout history in a much-discussed letter appearing the "Spectator" to-day.
He warns Britons that they have lately forgotten their former ideals jand must return to the vigorous impartial policy of earlier days if the irrevocable catastrophe of Europe is to be averted. 'The United States Jare tied hand and foot with internal troubles, writes the former leader, therefore Rritain must re-asswne her historic role with a resolute, clear-cut Jand intelligible European' policy it war is to be averted.
Mr. Lloyd George continues that the French have never understood [Britain's non-partisan attitude to-]wards European problems and sometimes have even regarded it as betrayal of Anglo-French friendship. "We went into war against Germany Met because we were pro-French or anti-German, but because we felt that the international equilibrium jwas_menaced by Germany in 1914 just as it had been threatened by France in the 18h and 19th centuries. We must resume the function history has allotted us, that role which so often has saved the freedom Jot Europe in the past but which to-Jday must also include Asia in the sphere of its benevolent influence. Isolation is betrayal of the noblest traditions of our past.
According to the Ex-Premier, the imam errors of recent British policy fare twofold: (1) the commission to insist that all signatories to the treaty of Versailles, France as well Jas Germany should' fulfil the treaty obligations, especially as regards disarmament; and (@) the lamentable weakness towards Japan which Jbrought the League of Nations into discredit.
Great Britain's intervention in any Inow war, the writer continues, would enough to decide the issue in favour of the side supported by Great Britain. Hitherto, British statesmen Ihave failed completely to make use lof this fact, the result being that Britain's influence in shaping the trend of international affairs is now the lowest conceivable ebb.
Litvinoff, Mussolini, Hitler and even /Barthou, Mr. Lloyd George concludes, count for incomparably more to-day than the leaders of British policy though the cards they hold are no Jmatch for those in the hands of Great Britain—Trans-Ocean Kuo
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.