The 011 Sanctions Report The report of the League of
Nations' committee of experts on Oil Sanctions is a strictly objective document, as it was intended to be. But from it certain conclusions emerge clearly. If an oil embargo is imposed on Italy by League States only, Italy will be involved in fresh inconvenience and expense, the pressure of the existing sanctions being to that extent reinforced. If in addition the United States is willing to restrict its exports to Italy to the pre-War figure, then Italy, which has little more than three months' supply in hand, will be gravely ham- pered in her prosecution of the war. To anyone who realises the imperative need of making the collective security system a reality-in a world charged with the perils that impend. on every side today the duty of League States is clear. They are pledged by the Covenant to subject an aggressor State to " the severance of all trade or financial relations," and, they have hardly begun to carry out that undertaking yet. As a moral duty, and to free themselves of the grave reproach that they arc giving active assistance to Italy in the prosecution of her unlawful war, they ought without further delay, and with or without America, to impose the oil ban. That, in fact, would be by far the most effective way to secure American co-operation. So long as League States refuse to take a step to which they are pledged why should the United States be expected to take a step to which she is not pledged ?
