Fortunately the Geneva meetings open with the re lations between this
country and France better than !icy have been for some weeks. A complete under- standing regarding mutual support under Article XVI a the Covenant has been reached as regards naval co-operation in the Mediterranean, and the French are anxious, quite reasonably, to extend the under- standing to the air. The outspoken deClaration of M. Herriot at the recent Radical-Socialist conference has served to stiffen M. Laval, and the obvious inadequacy of the Italian peace proposals; such as they were, has convinced him that there is nothing for it but for France to throw her whole weight behind the League and the sanctions policy. The French Premier will no doubt discuss informally with Sir Samuel Hoare and Mr. Edeli and other delegates at Geneva the possible basis of an eventual peace settlement—on which British and French 'Foreign Office officials have already been comparing 'notes. But there cannot be much to discuss. The Committee of Five at Geneva went almost beyond the limits of justice in framing a plan designed to concede all Italian demands that were not. utterly illegitimate. For Italy to profit by her lawless aggression to extort terms' more favourable still would be intolerable. It is essential that Sir Samuel Hoare should impress that on M. Laval.
