MUST BE DROPPED

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 141, 16 June 1936, Page 9

MUST BE DROPPED

SANCTIONS POLICY

BRITISH CABINET TIEW

DECISION AT HURRIED

MEETING LEAD AT GENEVA United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received June 16, 1 p.m.) LONDON, June 15. According to the "Daily Mail," a hurried meeting of members of Cabinet, including the Foreign Secretary, in the Prime Minister's room, decided that sanctions must be dropped and that Britain must lead a League retreat from the sanctions policy. Twenty speakers at the weekly meeting of the Conservative Members' Committee were unanimous that sanctions must be terminated.

Reports that the Foreign Secretary (Mr. Anthony Eden) is to resign as a result of Mr. Chamberlain s speech are officially denied. Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr. Eden said that the Government desires a debate on foreign policy as soon as possible. '"I will then be prepared to slate the views of the Government regarding action to be taken collcctivcly at the meeting of the League Council and the Assembly,*' lie said.

TO RESTORE CONFIDENCE. The "Daily Telegraph's" diplomatic correspondent, commenting on the surprise caused by Mr. Chamberlain being the first responsible Minister to ventilate the subject, says that Mr. Chamberlain was anxious to take the earliest opportunity of countering Lord Cecil's last belligerent pacifist campaign.

The correspondent adds that Ministers have already agreed on the main aims of British policy, which are directed towards securing an early end of the sanctions experiment and renewed collaboration with Italy in order to restore European confidcnce. Ministers are increasingly convinced that Britain must assume the responsibility for proposing the' abolition of sanctions, which it is believed Mr. Eden now favours. France has intimated to Britain her view that sanctions should be ended to enable an immediate start on larger endeavours for the pacification of Europe.

FRENCH ATTITUDE. M. Blum, a strict doctrinaire and internationalist, is reluctant that the French Government should take public initiative, and desires to limit himself to a promise of French support for British action. Moreover, M. Blum's Ministers are absorbed in domestic problems, and so far a clear idea of their views on European peace and •ecurity has not been obtainable. Accordingly London shares the views of Rome and Berlin, which are echoed in smaller capitals, that internal difficulties at present render France negligible in the European equation. This is greatly regretted in London, as it is largely responsible for the stiffening of the German attitude. It also strengthens the view that great European issues demand Italy's renewed co-operation in the Locarno Powers' task following the German reoccupation' of the Rhineland.