AMERICA AND BRITAIN

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 111, 6 November 1929, Page 11

AMERICA AND BRITAIN

SUCCESS OF MISSION

MR. MACDGNALD EXPLAINS

British Official Wireless.

(Eeceived 6th November, 11 a.m.)

EUGBY, sth November

Mr. Kamsay MaeDonald to-day,; iv the House of Commons, reported upon his visit to the United States of America and Canada. Ho said tlfat what success the visit had was largely owing to the hearty support of all parties in this country. Ho went out not as a party leader but as a national representative. He took the opportunity of thanking President Hoover and his Cabinet, and both the Senate and House of Eepresentatives, for tho welcome they gave him and tho honour paid him as representative of this country. He spoke of tho candour with which difficult questions were raised and discussed,- and said that, though some of the^ matters he had to deal with might easily have aroused prejudices, from beginning to end he found nothing but thoughtfulness and a desire to cooperate in placing the facts and positions justly before tho country. No Government could have opened the doors of their minds and hearts, wider. MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING. The purpose of his visit was to try by personal contact to establish new relations between tho two peoples based on a mutual understanding not only of common objects to bo pursued, but of natural, differences to be respected. Tho results must be left to fructify iv policy and action. The conversations he had had earlier with General Dawes had already removed fear that the unbridged differences between the United States of America and Britain would doom an international conference to failure. Those conversations were renewed with President Hoover, studying : with him tho ways and moans of filling in the narrow gaps still in the building programme which would at the same time recognise both parity of strength and variety.in use of tonnage. Both recognised that/the agreement they were seeking was one not merely between themselves,-but one which would . have to lit into the wider co-operation and final settlement dependent on tho FivePower Conference. Tho other Powers would probably havo much to say from their own viewpoints on the naval problems they wero discussing. Preliminary conversations with other Powers wero now proceeding. PEACE PACT A REALITY. Above and beyond the definite subject of naval agreement, said Mr. MacDonald, thero was a desire to make it clear-to everybody that in our mutual relations tho Paris Peace Pact was a reality, and so in a joint statement a declaration to that effect was mado for the first time officially by representatives of the two nations speaking together. That declaration stated that both 'our Governments resolve to accept tho Peace Pact, not only as a declaration of good intentions, "but as a positive obligation to direct national policy in accordance with its pledges. In tho light of such a declaration the solution of old problems had become possible in ways satisfactory to both countries. ■ "The United States," continued Mr. MaeDonald, "pursues with vigilant jealousy its historical policy of keeping free from all world entanglements, and is therefore not in the League of Nations. Wo are in the League of Nations. Wo havo contracted obligations, and we shall remain loyal to them. On neither side was any attempt made to change these facts." • ■

In the course of the discussions the President raised soino of tho major historical causes of difference, such as belligerent rights, the so-called fortified bases, and so on, which were still active in forming public opinion, and it was agreed to examine them, and ho believed nothing but good could come from an exchange of views on these questions.

Mi-. MaeDonald, concluding, expressed great appreciation of the welcome he received in Canada, where he discussed with Mr. Mackenzie King the matters which had arisen in Washington of special interest to Canada, and political and economic subjects of mutual concern. . ■

Mr. Baldwin aud Mr. Lloyd George cordially congratulated Mr. MaeDonald on his tour-and agreed as to the inestimable value of the contact thus established with the United States.