Germany, in reply to the French Note on the Pact
of Security, has accepted the invitation to take part in a legal conference. That is a distinct point to the good. The Notes which have been exchanged could not have served a more useful purpose than to bring the British, French, Belgian, Italian and German legal experts together at the same table. When the lawyers have done their work it should be possible for the Foreign Ministers to decide whether the legally clarified proposals are capable of adjustment and reconciliation. We cannot profess extreme hopefulness. In our opinion it was natural, and, indeed, inevitable, that Germany should object to the passages 'n the French Note in which France, apparently with the lonsent of Mr. Austen Chamberlain, said (1) that the Pact cannot in any way modify the guarantees provided in the Treaty of Peace, and (2) that France must be entitled, without resorting to arbitration, to decide whether Germany is the aggressor and to take immediate action against her.
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