TEST OF THE DIPLOMATIST OF TO-DAY
SIR EDWARD GREY ON THE SUbui^CT. "What is at the root of most trouble, in the world is misunderstanding," said Sir 'Edward Grey, the Foreign Secretary, recently in a speech on diplomacy as the chief guest at the animal dinner of the Foreign Press Association in London. M. J. Condurier de Chassaigne (president of the association), proposing Sir Edward Grey's health, described him as having always played fairly in everything and having one great aim, to maintain the peace of die world. Sir Edward Prey compared the work of the diplomat to thai of the correspondent of the foreign press, foi dealing witTi foreign affairs was in many respects akin to th-3 work of diplomacy. "What, he asked, was the test of the diplomatist of to-day' 1 It was to uphold tho inteiests of his own country and to reconcile them with tiie preservation of peace. If the intere&t of a foreign country could not be reconciled with peace it was not because diplomacy Lad been ai. work but because diplomacy Itad failed. To preserve peace and to uphoid the interests of his country a diplomat had first to explain the view which his country took on a particular point. If they took the great body of opinion in any of the great countries of Europe they would find it was quite easy bo reconcile their own point of view with the point of view of the other country. A great deal depended upon the way in which the point of view was stated. The work of the iliploroal-ist was to put it forth in conciliatory and persuasive language and to convey to his own country the point of view of the other country. The perspective became distorted if the two countries did not try to understand each other. If countries would only concentrate on their points of agreement instead of their points of difference they would get a much truer ] perspective. it was in the power of the press to create the diplomatic atmosphere and to say how much should be possible and how much impossible.
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Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 32, 6 August 1914, Page 4
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353TEST OF THE DIPLOMATIST OF TO-DAY Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 32, 6 August 1914, Page 4
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