LESSONS OF THE SAAR
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] Sin,—Eight or nine months ago the Saar territory was gener- ally regarded as the principal danger spot in Europe. It was commonly believed that the Saar Plebiscite might lead to a clash between armed forces from France and Germany, and that the eventual outcome might be European war. The plebiscite has, however, been conducted by the League of Nations with complete success and without disturbance of the peace, thanks to the security provided by the collec- tive action of British, Italian, Swedish and Dutch troops. Collective action, when it succeeds as in the Saar, ddes not involve the firing of a shot or the dropping of a bomb.
There is a sense in which the Saar troops who will be marching through London on Friday have deserved as well of their country as if they were returning from a victorious war. It is better for Britain to have helped to prevent a conflict between Frame and Germany (which must have -dragged us in) than to have fought and won ; for victory is nowadays only less disastrous than defeat. The Saar troops have also deserved well of the world for the object lesson they have given upon the essential difference between: (1) The use of military force "as an instrument of national policy" for the waging of war that is illegal since the Kellogg Pact ; and (2) The legitimate collective use of military force as an instrument of international policy for the preservation of peace.
The Athenaeum, S.W. 1.
Previous page
