BATHE PAYS A DIVIDEND Nonray, Denmark, Hsland: Ich a thing were Rope ngs esc pal that win two yer vc ould develop orders in Burope around $40,0005000,000 wort Jofmateral. Ihave an idea that there are plenty of banks that Would put up the money ifthe tral were big enough.” So ehded the fist attempt at Intemational control of the Bloody Trai, ie SWe have desesibed in some deta, the manner in hich th Bancrican delegates were beef by the armament maniac ad heirfriends in the Goverument—to be dir “mouth Ble world conference calle in the inerets of the coms People ofall countries. What happened in America happened, eee tee oc fe cit foal the other arms. Grodin Sites presented at Geneva, butts only in America Taatthe istry hasbeen exposed. The fate ofthe original drat tonvention was not, a s popularly believed, decided at Geneva Bgpeeteced in te boart-rocins ofthe arrarnent combines and Gttinformal” departmental conferences sponsored by tht typeof ‘Govemmentriniter'to whom lucrative compnny dirccorship ultimately flow with such monotonous regulars “Sean or Berea Hoday the very word “disarmament” bas an unreal, oven Sinister, import to the majority of people. We are all of us wise beat deseiarent—wit the sputions wisdom that comes alter the event. “Disarmament just does not work. Tt was tree ard ‘twas a flo, and we ean thank ox lucky stars ie did not come off” This sor of statement eems to represent the total degree of fntllectual effort which the average man andl oran—and, for that mater, the average politician and publicise prepare to exert when asked (0 pass judgement on the outstanding humanic farian experiment ofthis age, Tt i so easy to reiterate, parrot fasion, the slick and shallow verdicts of she Venny-paper ‘isorians: so tiresome to ave to probe below the surface forthe ‘eal influences behind the decay and collapse of the League's authority. omnsuis AP anxeva 8 Po sey in their true perspective, the events outlined im this chapter, iis necessary to realize that there maz & me when the reat mas of the poliely-conscious genuinely believed inthe Principle of world disarmament; were profoundly disturbed by the prospect ofan international arms race, and entertained sold hhopes that out of the Geneva conferences would emerge a sane and practic plan for ensuing world peace by collective security “The League”, saye Mr, Beverley Baxter, “pertuaded the ‘ghicous to disarm and permitted the wicked to arm.?* This is hothing more than the propitstory rationalizing ofa conscienee- troubled Tory. Beverley Banter knows very well thatifthe League IMood fer anyiking it stood for the principle and. practice of Iiiersel disarmament; that the vidation of thi peiniple was brought shout by the unholy alliance between the armament manufacturers an che imperialists and chatviniats of the Great Powers; that it at their doorsteps that we must lay the greater part ofthe blame forthe League's failure. Later we shall see how the “vightenus”—by which Mr, Baxter can only mean the Governments and ruling lasses of the Great Powers—not only permitted the “wicked” co atm but actively aided hem in det faniraznton of the League Covenant and the Treaty of Vera, ‘At the height of the disarmament campaign, the Union of Democratic Control published ‘he Sere Intemational masterly indicument of the armament fms’ anti-Geneva activities. The sage which follows istaken fom the opening pagesof tic work, 8nd wil serve as an introduction to one ofthe greatest scandals of the inter-war years? Today, almost everyone pays lipservice to the cause of disarmament. No one sys in public that it would not be better if the nations spent less money ad employed fewer men fon the making ofshells and guns, tanks and submarines, bate ships and battle aeroplanes, in devising new and more deadly forms of poiton gas and explosive ‘This pamphlet asnimen| {general agreement about that, Ttalo asuines that mest people Are bitterly disappointed tha the progres towards a goal which Bor Sondd, Jl 30, 1048