Lord Cushendun Unmasks The Soviet

Northland Age, Volume 28, Issue 52, 20 June 1928, Page 6

Lord Cushendun Unmasks The Soviet

Complete Text Of Speech To Disarmament Committee Of League Of Nations (Continued) Following is the continuation of the text of the speech delivered before the preliminary disarmament committeeof the League of Nations by Lord Cushendum which exposed the motives behind the Russian proposals for immediate and complete disarming of the nations. This speech—disclosing as it does the sinister aims and policies of the Bolshevist regime—is of such importance that the Family Herald had it cabled verbatim from Geneva for the information of its readers. The text of the speech follows : Official Information

“On this point, some light is thrown by an article which appeared a few days ago in the official organ of the Soviet Government, the newspaper Isvestia. This article appeared only recently, long after the invitation had been sent and accepted by the Soviets to be represented here. The article speaks with all the old scorn and contempt of the League. It speaks of what it calls the absolute futility of the discussions at Geneva and it is only just to the Soviet delegate to recall that he used very similar language himself yesterday with regard to the futility of the discussions here. Soviet Purpose “This article then tells us that the scorn which they express is shared by the Soviet delegates, and this is significant. It tells us that their purpose in coming here is to unmask the capitalist states. That, as we all know, means the whole civilized world outside their own frontiers. They come here to unmask the capitalist states and —notice these words —to disclose the sabotage of the Soviet proposals for disarmament which is to be expected from these capitalist states.

Now I submit that that article amounts to the clearest possible intimation to us that the purpose of the Soviet delegates is not really to give us any genuine assistance in the work upon which we are engaged, but that, as this paper clearly shows, there is an ulterior motive.

“Personally, I am afraid I must in one respect, disappoint the Soviet delegate, decause I am not prepared .to be a party to any sabotage of their proposals and I do not myself believe there is any delegate here who is prepared for any such condition, and it is for that very reason, because I should resist, it necessary, any attempt to sabotage these proposals, that I think they merit most careful examination at our hands and am prepared to support them.

“But there is another point that arises in this connection, and I think I shall be able to show the commission that what I am saying is founded on evidence.

“If there is any question of sabotage, it is sabotage ot the League by the Soviets and I intend to show the Commission that it appears in these articles themselves. That is why I think it is important that we should very carefully examine them. Treaties Registered. “It is now an established European practice and even more than European that all members of the League have undertaken that any

agreements or treaties which they make are to be registered with the League and, therefore, even though the Soviets are not a member it might have been expected that, when presenting these proposals to the preparatory commission, they would pay harmless homage to the League, knewing our practice by inserting that registration should be with the League. “Similarly, there is no suggestion that the ratifications are to be deposited at Geneva. There seems to be a fixed purpose in avoiding, or, if I may use an English slang word of boycotting the League, Geneva and all its works. I would ask the commission to look at Article 63 of the draft conventions and I submit that that article justifies the observations I have made. It would have been so simple, knowing the position that Geneva, as the seat of the League now holds, that the ratifications should be deposited there, but according to these proposals the instruments of ratification shall be drawn up in five copies and deposited in the capital one of the states in the five continents. That is a proposal which shows imagination but as a practical proposal what possible advantage can there be in having ratifications in five copies and depositing them in some unspecified continent?”

To be continued