25 OCTOBER 1935, Page 6

There is 'a naive 'honesty about Lord Beaverbrook which makes

his personality ten times more interesting :than, say, Lord Rothermere's. In his Politicians and the War he made no concealment of his chagrin at not being offered the Board of Trade in December, 1916, after all he had done to put Mr. 'Lloyd George in office.

• In reviewing Sir Austen Chamberlain's book of memoirs the other day he paid an engaging testimony to Sir Austen's integrity by describing how he had resisted his (Lord Beaverbrook's) attempts' to persuade him to act disloyally towards his party leader. Now, hi a three-column manifesto in the Daily Express, he explains how he has . written letters to " innumerable " ministers of religion, solicitors, doctors and journalists, expounding the isola- 'tionist faith and asking for their comments. The response was interesting. The ministers come down 6 to 1 in favour of the League of Nations ; most 'editors' favour sanctions of some kind '; the solicitors are 6 to 4-in 'favour of the Covenant ; only the doctors divide their' patronage about equally between the League and isolationism. Lord Beaverbrook need not,' of course, have told' us any of this: But he has, and I like him for it.