Evening star., 1939-04-03
BY the Associated Press.


LONDON, April 3-FollolDing
is the tert of Prime Minister
Chamberlain's statement today
to the House OF Commons:
Mr.. Greenwood (Arthur Green
wood, deputy leader of the oppo-
sition) promised on Friday that the
debate to take place today should
be carried on on a high level. So
far as he was concerned he has
amply fulfilled that promise. Feel
ing. as I think he does, that this
is an occasion when we had rather
stress the points on which we agree
than those on which we may diff.
fer, 1 shall, while noting his re-
serve as to the leonine character
of those who sit around him. not
attempt to 60 back to any matter of
difference, but rather address my
self to the situation that is be-
fore us.
When Lord Cranborne suggested
on Friday that it might be a good
thing If this debate we're to be post
poned for a time I confess that my
first thought was rather to agree
with him, not because I anticipated
that any harm would be done by
the debate but because I realized
that nothing was likely to occur over
the week end which would enable
me to give the House any new in
formation.
Restricted in Statement.
While Mr.. Greenwood can very
rightly and properly put forward
his ideas as to the manner in which
matters should be developed, he, ]
know, recognizes that it is not so
easy for me. who am just about to
take part in conversations, to say
in public what exactly are the lines
on which we wish to go.
But if, as hope may be the case,
the result of this debate is to show
that fundamentally and generally
this House is unanimous in its ap-
proval of the declaration which I
made on Friday and is united and
determined to take whatever meas
ures may be necessary to make that
declaration effective, this debate
may we'll serve a very useful pur-
pose.
The declaration which I made on
Friday has been described in a
phrase so apt that it has been widely
taken up-as cover note issued in
advance of a complete insurance
policy.
I think I did myself emphasize
this transitional or temporary char
acter and that description of a
cover note is not at all a bad one
so far as it goes, but where 1 think
it is altogether incomplete is that
whilst, of course, the issue of a
cover note does not imply that it is
to be followed by something more
SUBSTANTIAL, it is the nature of the
complete insurance policy which is
such a tremendous departure from
anything which this country has un-
dertaken hitherto.
New Point in Foreign Policy.
1t does really constitute a new
I was going to say epoch-but new
point in our foreign policy. The
commitments of this country,
whether actual or potential, were
stated some time ago by my right
honorable friend, Mr.. Eden (An-
thony Eden, former foreign secre-
tary) in a passage which is famous,
it was so carefully expressed. The
commitments. which he laid down in
that passage in a speech he made
in the country not long ago did not
suggest that we should add to them
something affecting country in the
eastern part of Europe.
If that had been suggested 1t
would no doubt have obtained some
limited amount of support, but it
certainly would not have COM
manded the approval of the great
majority of the country. Indeed, to
have departed from our traditional
ideas in this respect so far as I did
on behalf of the government on Fri
day constitutes a portent in British
policy so momentous that think it
is safe to say it will have chapter
to itself when the history books
come to be written.
Mr.. Greenwood alluded just now
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