ELUSIVE SHADOW.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 182, 4 August 1939, Page 7

ELUSIVE SHADOW.

TREATY FORMULA.

" Indirect Aggression" In

Soviet Parleys.

FOREIGN MINISTER SPEAKS

British Official Wireless.

(Keceivetl 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, August S

The Foreign Secretary, Viscount Halifax, in liis speech in the House of Ixmls to-day, referred to Britain's negotiations with Russia. The efforts to make mi agreement with tlie Soviet, lie said, were a continuation of the Covernnient's endeavour tu organise a combinatjoii in resistance to aggression. The (toveriiiiient. lie added, was blamed for the delay, hut lie suggested that not sufficient allowance was made for the difficulties of preparing an instrument that would cover every possible contingency. That task was very complicated in any case, and was further com plica ted by the necessity for meeting a new techniotic nf aggression—of providing, that was to say, for what was called "indirect aggression." The Minister made it clear that the chief cause of delay in finally reaching an agreement, on the necessity of which both sides were convinced, was the ipuestion of the precise form to be given the definition of indirect aggression—"this elusive shadow," as he called it. The object was to find a formula to cover indirect aggression without encroaching on the independence or neutrality of other States. It was no secret that the [proposals Britain and France had made appeared to the Soviet to be insufficiently comprehensive. whilst the formula favoured by Russia appealed to Britain and France to go too far in the other direction.

Plea for National Unity. Tlie Minister said it had been assumed in some quarters that if Britain had been represented by a Cabinet Minister instead of by an Ambassador a quick agreement would bavc l>een secured. He did not think experience supported that. The fact that Britain and France decided to dispatch military missions to Moscow was evidence of the determination to bring these negotiations to an early and successful conclusion. "On the eve of adjourning, T cannot encourage anyone to feel complacent about the international situation. That would not be in accordance with the facts ami possibilities as we believe them to exist to-day. Indeed, it may be that the next few weeks «ir months may prove critical. "Britain's policy is, T hope, sufficiently clear and so generally accepted that I need not recapitulate it. I myself tried to define it in a speech something over a month ago. To that speech I have nothing to add. and I certainly have nothing to withdraw from it. "We have tried to make the position of this country crystal clear. We have no aggressive designs. Our alliances and understandings were not framed with any aggressive intent. It onlyremains for us to keep calm as far as we may, to be united to avoid exaggerated attention to rumour, and to be neither over-confident nor too pessimistic.

"A united nation which knows exactly where it stands and knows itself to be strong can meet the future, whatever it may hold, with confidence.''

WAR UNLIKELY

DOMINIONS SECRETARY'S VIEW (Received l..'!l) p.m.) LONDON', August 3. Speaking in Argyll. Sir Thomas Inskip. Dominions Secretary, declared that war wan not likely. The Government had wry good reasons for saying that. "Scarcely a week passes without some new addition *o our capacity to resist dictators,'' he said. "Britain is the leader in the peace front, and that is one of the reasons whv war is unlikely.*'