ABYSSINIA AND THE LEAGUE SIR, —Sir Claud Russell may be right
in holding that Governments anxious to evade troublesome duties could have evaded them more light- heartedly if Abyssinia had not been a member of the League, but he is not right in saying that "the Governments of France and Britain would have had no reason to intervene unless they had chosen to take the view that their interests were involved." By Article XI "any war or threat of war, whether immediately affecting any of the members of the League or not," is a matter of concern to the whole League ; and by Article XVII it is laid down that if any non-member is involved in a dispute such non-member "shall be invited to accept the obligations of membership in the League for the purposes of such dispute." There can be no doubt whatever that Abyssinia would have accepted the invitation. In such a case it is laid down that "Articles 12 to i6 shall be applied with such modifications as may be deemed necessary by the Council."
Article XVI is of very great importance. Without it the Covenant would have bound its members not to plunder one another while leaving them free to prey on the rest of the world.—Yours truly,
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