THE GERMAN COLONIES [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]
SIR, —A year ago you published a letter in which I suggested that the greatest service Great Britain could render to the cause of peace would be the unequivocal adoption of the policy of peaceful treaty revision. If France wanted security, she must recognize the injustices of the dictated Peace Settlement and consent to their redress.
Within the last twelve months France has declared her willingness to renounce the yearly credit balance of twenty million pounds to which the Young Plan entitled her. The Fascist Grand Council of Italy has definitely adopted the principle of treaty revision as part of its programme. -Senator Borah has proposed that the United States should cancel war debts if by so doing it could promote a general settlement.
In these circumstances, I would suggest that we might do well to reconsider our attitude towards our German colonial Mandates. There are three main reasons why it is desirable that these mandates should, at our suggestion, be transferred into German control': (1) Because the summary confiscation was a violation of the Fifth of the Fourteen Points ; (2) Because fog social and economic reasons Germany needs colonies no less than do other First Class Powers ; (3) Because our own moral position would be enormously strengthened for the difficult task of asking the United States for a cancellation of war debts, and Poland and the Powers of the Little Entente for a reconsideration of the territorial settlement.
' Our doctrine of the paramountcy of native interests should not be used as an argument against this proposal, since in the pre-War years German colonial policy was characterized by both efficiency and enlightemnent.—I am, Sir, &c.,
Previous page
