The spirit and the technique of the League have become
very real things and it is quite possible that the Russian delegates may be impressed and finally con- strained by them. Nothing better could possibly happen than that Russia should in some such ways be drawn in and be led to prefer comity to Communism. At present we are all conscious of a certain unreality when we talk about creating the security which is the prelude to disarmament. For how can the States which border on Russia feel that there is any meaning in this talk while the Soviet tries to undermine all other Governments, keeps up an army of nearly 1,000,000 men, buys munitions from Germany and has recently imported 50,000 tons of the highest grade nitrate apparently for the purpose of manufacturing explosives ? We may reasonably fix our attention, however, less on the motives of the Russians in going to Geneva than on the fact that they are going. .
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