I said that it seemed to me that the issue he raised
 
was necessarily a fundamental issue, but that it occurred
 
to me that there were other vital and basic issues to be
 
explored in the present situation as well. I said that
 
it seemed to me that the question Lord Halifax had raised
 
had to do squarely with the question of security, but that
 
under existing conditions I wondered whether it would be
 
possible for any Government, or any people, to believe that
 
millennium had come and place complete confidence in
 
the good faith of even a completely.new government of Ger-
 
many, or for that matter, of many other governments, so
 
long as present armaments continued, and so long as every
 
great nation had it within its power overnight to destroy
 
civilian populations, to slaughter women and children,
 
and to ruin industrial production. I wondered, I said,
 
whether disarmament was not the real key to the problem,
 
because it seemed to me that a real disarmament must tend
 
towards the reestablishment of confidence, and towards
 
the rebuilding of economic security which in turn always made
 
less likely the urge towards military conquest.
 
     At this stage the conversation ended because the King
 
and Queen hs.d invited the Ambassador and myself to tea at
 
Buckinghsm Palace at half past four.
 
     Lord Halifax said that the Prime Minister was expect-
 
ing me at six. He said that if I preferred to see Mr.
 
Chamberlaind alone he would of course quite understand,
 
and would not be present at the interview. I replied
 
that, on the contrary, I particularly hoped that Lord Hali-
 
fax would be present at my conference with Mr. Chamberlain.