NEWS OF THE WEEK
BEFORE Mr. Chamberlain spoke on Wednesday we were taken a step further into the confidence of the British and French Governments by the issue of a White Paper giving the text of the German proposal for a Security Pact, which was communicated to M. Herriot on February 9th ; of the French Government's answer handed to the German Forgn Office last week ; and of the corres- pondence between the British and French Foreign Offices which resulted in. such changes in the draft origin- ally proposed in Paris, as enabled the French answer to be delivered with-the approval of His Majesty's Govern- ment behind it. We must certainly give M. Briand credit for meeting the German advance in a much more con- ciliatory spirit than could have been hoped for not many months ago. The changes upon which Mr. Chamberlain had to insist were small in quantity though important in quality. Indeed we are disposed to admire the ingenuity of the Foreign Office in making the alterations in so few words.
* *
