A Year's Disarmament Talk It is not exhilarating to reflect
that Thursday was the anniversary of the opening of the Disarmament Confer- ence, for the achievement of the Conference to date could be stated in half a line. At this moment there are conflicting signs both of delay and of acceleration. The political crisis in France may hold up discussion of the important French plan. On the other hand the new British proposals do represent a definite attempt to harvest whatever can be harvested in the next few weeks. Their merit lies in the fact that they take definite account of the political elements in the situation, making provision, as they do, for the conclusion of guarantee pacts between States on the continent of Europe. That might satisfy France's security require- ments without involving this country in further commit- ments, but France is entitled to ask, and will no doubt ask, what we understand by Article XVI of the Covenant. A renewed renunciation of the use of force, also suggested in the British draft, would have the advantage of definitely committing some new administrations which at present merely inherit their predecessors' pledges— though such pledges, of course, hold them definitely bound in law. On the actual disarmament clauses in the British scheme judgement must be suspended till concrete figures are produced. That, of course, is the vital point.
* * *
Previous page
