On Monday the Allied delegates appeared at Spa to meet
the Germans led by Herr Fehrenbach, the German Chancellor. As it had been arranged that one of the first questions to be discussed was disarmament, it was a surprise to the Allies to find that the German Minister of Defence was not present. Herr Fehrenbach declared that he had not realized that the disarma- ment question would come on at once, and he proposed that his Foreign Minister should make a preliminary statement on the subject. This was not satisfactory to the Allies, and the Con- ference was adjourned. By Tuesday the missing German dele- gates reached Spa, and a discussion at once began on the naval, military, and air clauses of the Treaty. The German Minister of Defence justified the delay in carrying out the terms by point- ing to the difficult economic situation in Germany. M. Delacroix, who was again acting as chairman, and Mr. Lloyd George laid it down that Germany must name an early date for the fulfilment of her promises.
