Evening star., 1932-11-27
Frances Cry for Security
sAaK Policy

saw the premier returning to his hotel
in Lausanne-this time a sort OF mys-
terious satisfaction in his eye. He
motioned to me and said: Come ana
see me Immediately" Three minutes
later I had joined him on his private
terrace, in front Of his bed room. BY
strange chance a rumbling SOUND was
heard in the ART was the great Ger
man dirigible paying visit to the
Lausanne Conference and making ma
jestic evolutions high above the Lake
of Geneva.
did you want to show me the Ger
man dirigible?" I asked.
mot in the least" he laughed, they
little dream up there what we were DO
ing this morning. Macdonald and l.
"And what was that?"
1--WE agreed about something to which
I attach the utmost importance, ana
which all of France, I feel sure, Will
appreciate at it's true value. We have
agreed that in international matters
neither of our countries Is to do any
thing without previously consulting
with each other. Keep this secret Tor
the time being. Within a fortnight, I
hope, it will be publicly announced"
Two Weeks Later.
And two weeks later it was. as he had
said. For the reason have given above,
it was highly appreciated by French
public opinion. It does not guarantee
that England and France will always
act together or that they will have the
same views, but 1t does guarantee that
England will never act without hav-
ing notified France, and that France
may always discuss the matter before
1t becomes irrevocable.
And now, shall I say a few words
about Herriot's doctrine on the ques-
ton of security. which has caused so
much ink to flow? His doctrine is that
France does not ask for security for
herself alone. but for the entire world.
As a matter of fact, is there a single
country that does not think more or
less of its. security?
One day-it was in 1927-Mr. RAM
say Macdonald, who then was only
leader of the British Labor party, came
to Paris and delivered a lecture to the
Parisians about their security mono
mania.
Look here" he said, st am here
among you without a revolver in my
pocket, and yet i feel perfectly safe.
Why? Because I know that you are q
civilized community and that. If were
attacked. you would Immediately pro-
tect me-"
To which M. Paul Boncour, French
Socialist leader, retorted that of course
Mr.. Macdonald did not need to have
a revolver in his pocket because he
knew there were policemen in the
streets. But Mr.. Macdonald answered
his own argument better still. A year
later he became prime minister of
Great Britain. and very soon had q
controversy with the Government of
the United States regarding the limita-
tions Of the respective navies of the
two countries. And in the course Of the
discussion, he sent cahled memoran-
dunn to the United States, which was
printed in all the newspapers Of the
world and in which every one could
read the following sentence: "A total
tonnage of $4,000 tons is the strict
minimum below which Great Britain
cannot reduce her cruisers without
prejudicing the security Of the British
Empire"
Felt Perfectly Safe.
So we had it from Mr.. Ramsay Mac
Donald's own lips that he felt perfectly
safe when he came to the continent
and did not even carry revolver in his
pocket, but that, as prime minister of
the British Empire. he did not feel so
secure when travelling on the seas, and
that he needed for the security of the
Empire at least $40 900 tons of cruisers
without mentioning the torpedo boats.
Every country on earth, even the
most powerful, has weak and vul-
nerable spot which makes 1t think that
1t Is not absolutely secure, that 1t must
take precautions. that it must have
some defensive weapons at its disposal
But every country feels that its own
security is sacred thing and that the
security of its neighbor is a secondary
matter. And here we have the first diff
flculty of organizing peace.
AS Herriot said one day: There is no
road to peace without a road to secur-
ity. And every one has TO bring his
pavement to the road. The pavement
need not be exclusively made of the
stones presented by this or that nation
1t may be made of various materials by
all nations. But there must be a pave
ment. Until now there have been only
words And words, for a solid road,
constitute but poor pavement"