'Lord Derby, addressing the United Club on Monday, said that
conferences attended by the Prime Minister were a mistake. He contrasted Lord Balfour's success at Washington and Lord Curzon's good work at the Near Eastern Conference in Paris with the Prime Minister's experience at Genoa, the main result of which, apart from the armistice, was to show that " a deal with Russia at the present moment was absolutely impossible." " It was Russia "—or rather, we should say, the Bolsheviks- " that torpedoed the Conference." Lord Derby urged the Prime Minister to deal frankly with France : " if he had any- thing in his mind against France, let him say it tactfully but firmly." There were two questions to be answered. First, how did the proposed Pact stand and were not the amendments prepared by France desirable and acceptable ? Secondly, if the Allies agreed to fix a definite sum which Germany could pay in reparation, could not we decide oncefor all on the measures to be taken if payment had to be enforced ? Satisfactory answers to these questions would, Lord Derby thought, remove all the misunderstandings between Great Britain and France.
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