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every other approach made to England in seven years, was rejected with derision."
 
          Hitler then said that I had referred to the problem of limitation and reduction of 
 
armaments. Time and again, he said, he had offered England and the other powers of
 
the world the opportunity for a real and practicable reduction of armaments. He had guaranteed 
 
that Germany would maintain her standing army at 200,000 men; then at 300,000 men; he had 
 
expressed German willingness to outlaw certain types of munitions and implements of war.
 
Never once, however, had these offers on his part received the slightest attention or, much less, 
 
consideration, as a basis of agreement. The Chancellor then said, "The present armament burden 
 
is crushing the life out of all peoples; it cannot continue much longer. The national economy of 
 
every nation will crash before much further time elapses."
 
          He stated that he believed these were two practicable methods of securing a real 
 
disarmament. The first was for the great powers of Europe to agree upon their minimum
 
ratios of military and of naval strength, outlawing all but a minimum of offensive armaments, and 
 
upon that basis further to agree that in the event of any threat to their security, or to the peace of 
 
Europe, these powers would pool their military and naval resources as a police power. He had 
 
formally made this proposal to Great Britain and to France. He had never received the slightest 
 
response.
 
          The other alternative was for the powers to agree upon a progressive and gradual 
 
reduction in their respective military strength; with the gradual elimination at the same time of 
 
certain categories of offensive armament.  This