Russia, it is to be observed, is nowhere mentioned. She
is not among the nations to which a non-aggression pact is offered. So far from any " gesture " to mitigate the violation of the Treaty of Locarno, the violation of the treaty is almost defiantly reaffirmed. Herr Hitler is apparently still unwilling to submit to the Permanent Court the thesis which he himself has launched of the incompatibility of the Franco-Soviet Pact with the Treaty of Loearno. Ile suggests the establishment of a new international court of arbitration to which questions relating to the observance of the new agreements shall be referred, though the Council or League, which Germany is to rejoin, and the Permanent Court, of which she is a member, already exist to deal with such matters. The disarmament proposals look more im- pressive than they are. The only weapons to be abolished are heavy tanks and heavy artillery. Apart from that there is nothing but paper prohibitions regarding aerial and other bombardments—and one paper prohibition can be torn up as easily as another, particularly under the stress of war. This is described as " a first step on the road to disarmament," but .tanks and artillery are negligible compared with the air menace, and Germany makes no proposal for any limitation of the air arm, except in so far as the conclusion of a western air pact may involve that.
