The French and I;alian Navies It is an encouraging sign
(though it should not be regarded as anything more) that Mr. Craigie's conversations in Paris about a Franco-Italian naval agreement have unexpectedly caused Mr. Henderson and the First Lord of the Admiralty to go to Rome. An agreement between France and Italy would be extremely important, because through lack of that agreement the signatures of Great Britain, the United States and Japan to the .Three Power Naval Treaty are only provisional. The signatures can be withdrawn if France and Italy should suddenly decide upon considerable. naval expenditure. The aim now is a Five Power Treaty. The French . Government has apparently suggested that if Italy is not agreeable to the French demand for a permanent naval superiority Great Britain should be content to come to terms with France and leave Italy out. But this would not do at all. It is also said that the French Government hopes for British support of French army policy as a quid pro quo, for French agreement with Italy. We can only hope that there is no scheme of this sort, which would prejudice the Disarmament Conference. The British representatives have been making such honest and, up to a point, such successful efforts that we think they may be fairly trusted.
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