THE GOAL OF PEACE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 143, 14 December 1938, Page 9

THE GOAL OF PEACE

"WILL NEVER LEAVE OFF TRYING"

FOREIGN OUTLOOK

RAPID DETERIORATION

<By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright.) (Received December 14, 11.15 a.m.) LONDON, December 13. Speaking at the jubilee dinner of the Foreign Press Association-— a speech which was broadcast throughout the world—the Prime Minister, Mr. Neville Chamberlain, described how he was faced with a situation in which relations with Italy and Germany were rapidly deteriorating, and he said he had come to the conclusion that the only alternatives were ,to make up their minds that war was inevitable and to prepare for it or to make a prolonged effort to eradicate the possible causes of war and try out personal contacts while pursuing rearmament for defence. He believed that those who held the opinion that the country should have taken the -first course were a small minority. ,He had chosen the second course. The goal was not only peace, but confidence that peace could be maintained, "and as long as I am where 1 am I will never leave off trying," he added. Proceeding to instance his accomplishments, he mentioned the agreements between Britain and Eire and Britain and Italy and the Munich agreement The latter was followed by the Anglo-German declaration and also the Anglo-American trade agreement. All had been concluded within twelve months. TONE OF GERMAN PRESS DEPLORED. "I must deplore the recent attitude of the German Press," he said, "which in one case did not scruple to pour vituperation against our most respected statesman, himself only recently Prime Minister, and in few cases has shown much desire to understand our viewpoint." Nevertheless, he was convinced that the British and German peoples wished never again to go to war with one another. Alluding to his forthcoming visit to Signor Mussolini, he said he presumed that some people would again speculate who would,be the winner or the loser, but that was not the spirit in which he and Lord Halifax were going to Italy. Mr. Chamberlain denied a suggestion that because he advocated an understanding with the dictators he favoured the- Nazi or .the Fascist system. "History rteaches us." he said, "that no form of government ever remains the same. . Change may come by slow degrees or suddenly like an explosion, but change from one form to another is inevitable. It would seem to follow, therefore, thtt we should be careful not to shut ourselves away from contact with any country on account of a system which, in course of time, may well undergo such modifications as to render it very different from what it is today." DESIRE FOR REDUCTION OF ARMAMENTS., Alluding to British re-armament, the Prime Minister said it was the hope of the British people that these armaments might never be required. Certainly they would not be required jfor aggressive purposes, but no one would welcome more gladly than he limitation or reduction of armaments by international agreement. "I have recently sustained a certain shock at seeing myself described as •that old man,'" said Mr. Chamberlain, "but in one respect perhaps the passage of the years has' left its markin recognition of the futility of ambition, if ambition leads to a desire for domination, for again history teaches us that attempts at domination are never successful for long and have never added to the happiness of nations which have attempted it. Past experience has shown that there is an innate resistant force arising from fear of loss of liberty, combined with the ever-present passion for national selfexpression which makes domination difficult and presaripus. It is the absence of peace of mind which today weighs upon the world and, by destroying confidence, prevents the reaping of the material advantages of human progress."

He concluded by appealing to the nations, through the Press, to realise that happiness was only attainable if people ceased to seek for points of difference and searched instead for points of agreement. He described Britain's relations with France as so close as to pass beyond mere legal obligation, since they were founded on identity of interests.