In principle, one can accept that. However, things were not as simple as that. I do not wish to harp upon a fundamental law of all countries giving a nation the right to create for itself a certain state of defence. In the course of the hearing of evidence the Tribunal has had occasion to recognize that this was true with regard to the situation in which Germany found herself in the year 1933. I want to call your attention to the following passages of the Marshall report which was submitted to the Tribunal.
Weakness is too great a temptation for the strong.
The Tribunal will take notice of them. There are quite a number of long speeches from the book. I know the general staffs of many countries very well and have never known any general staff which would have glorified war or would have wished for war. They knew too much about it. If they advocated strength, it was because they believed in the idea that armed strength can prevent war.