Notes on the News Lord Swinton

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 27 February 1939, Page 11

Notes on the News Lord Swinton

• There is a suggestion that Lon! ! ! Swinton might he appointed British j j Ambassador to the Government of Gem I [eral Franco. 5 1 Viscount Swinton is 55 years old. He | yjhas been describe I *] as “a strong man -i who iu the past has carved his career c with a strong wrist .and a sharp I sword.” Like Lord Halifax lie has en_!joyed three names. He was born a iLloyd-Greame. For family reasons he changed his name in BUM to CunliffeLi>ter. In 11)35 he was created Viscount Swinton. He did not enter Parliament till the election of Jblb, as a Conservative. By he was Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade, .serving under Mr. Stanley-(now Karl) Baldwin, The year after he became Secretary of Overseas Trade, and one year later President of the Board of Trade. Hie quick promotions led to his being duobed "file young man in a hurry.” In IiMI lie went to the Colonial Office, and in H)35 he travelled both to the House of ixnds and to the Air Ministry. Uritain And The League I Mr. Neville Chamberlain said the j League of Nations had failed because an attempt hud been made to impose j Uj»on it a task completely beyond its , Last April Lord Halifax, Britj te h i Foreign Secretary, said: "We still in- , tend to make the fullest use we can of the League within the limits which i \ve it re obliged to recognize. I do not . think they are disloyal to the League ideal who have regard for its actual i capacity on the political side, j "It is no fault of the League, and sLII less of the British Government, , but ir i.s the plain truth that if we were j to act as some suggest and try to or- i ,guni/.e a new pattern of collective : security gainst Germany by the prei sent. League Powers, we should be do- : mg the very thing that would be not j only on a long view destructive of j ho|,K» of winning. Germany and other .lowers back to Furopeun eo-operation. , possibly in some uew form, but also j we should be doing something agaiusi i vvliieli we have always worked, namely, I the division of Liirojie into blocs for- | oially ranged against one another, and ! which m our view must greatly aggru-1 j vate the risk of ultimate catastrophe. ’* A day later, Mr. Neville Chamberlain said: "Tlie twin pillars of our foreign policy jut- to seek peace b.v friendly i discussion, and to build up our forces i Proportionately to our responsibilities, , while seizing every opportunity to strengthen the League and re-erealo i as an effective instrument for peace. . But we must realise that collective I bx, . c ;iV' ity cau attained only b.v the . willingness of members of Hie League to act collectively and effectively iu order to ore vent a egression. Is the League in such a state as to do that today? Actual disloyalty to tlie League Ups iu pretending it is capable of functioning beyond its power. But let. us not abandon the idea of a bigger aim better League iu ihe future.”