It had many times been made clear that public opinion In this country would warmly welcome the return of Germany to the League, member-this of which Isa privilege which teach nation, precisely because it is inspired by the principles of the Covenant, should be proud to assume.
'Concerning armaments, it was quite true that the German'. government emphasized that they. wanted arms convention, but the ultimate of such a declaration must Clearly. be dependent upon whether the country that makes it, la prepar-to accept limitations such as would afford a reasonable prospect of a general agreement, It had always been assumed hitherto in all disarmament diccussions that in any agreement as to military forces, there would be parily between the armies stationed in Europe of the three great western continental Powers, France, Germany and. Ttaly.
Such was the proposal embodied in the British draft. convention—the MacDonald plan—where the figure of 200,000 was proposed for France, Germany and Italy, while a much Targer figure of $00,000 was given to Russia.
Reich Figure Unobtainabl important to remember that Germany herself, in the past, tres quently praised this draft convention, and regretted what she described os "departures from. its principles." Indeed, this convention was accepted by the' disarmament conference as a whole, including Germany, as the basis for any future convention.
'A year ago, when Mr. Eden visited Berlin, Rome and Paris, this principle of parity between' the three western continental Powers was not disputed. Germany then asked, how-fever, that the figure should not be 200,000 but 300,000. If. the German government now maintains its need Tor_ $80,000, it must be clear that, at such a. very high figure, parity between the three western continental powers on an equal basis of train-Ing, was frankly undblainable.
Mr. Een said he appreciated that, the view of the German govern: ment, this figure was justified by her anxieties in eastern Europe. He proceeded, therefore, to examine the Situation. there.
Soviet Russia would be adverse to anything which would dislocate the machinery she was so laboriously building up, and no. greater dislocaton could' be imagined than. war.
Again vast distances separated Berlin from Moscow, and, since the re-creation of the great Polish state. the possibility of aggression by Rus: sia upon Germany, had become 3 /zcographical anachronism. For these Jand other reasons, he found it dim cult to share the apprehension of military aggression by Soviet Russia, which appeared to exist in Germany. Moreover, the could not help feeling that, if any nation were apprehensive of its own security, its best course was to take its place in the League of Nations and thereby obtain the benefit of collective security." The League and the Locarno Treaties were "important stabilizing factors, which did not exist in 1914, with the situation before which year, the pres fent position was often contrasted.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.