-5-
 
world could have any faith in the word of the Government
 
of one of those powers. Mr. Chamberlain by this time spoke
 
with a white-hot anger. It was very apparent that this
 
particular issue had a deeply personal response from his
 
individual emotions.
 
     After a further pause, he went on to speak of his ex-
 
periences at the time of Munich. He said that no Govern-
 
ment in England could continue to receive popular support
 
if it entered into any negotiations with the Hitler regime.
 
     He then said that from what Lord Halifax had told him
 
of our talk he agreed with what he understood was my own
 
feeling that the key to the problem of today was the ques-
 
tion of disarmament. But he said "I do not believe you can
 
achieve real disarmament until you csn reestablish con-
 
fidence. You cannot obtain confidence until the German
 
people show that they wish a real peace by changing their
 
present government."
 
 
     I said to Mr. Chamberlain that if he would forgive my
 
apparent levity, the issue he presented reminded me a good
 
deal of the old conundrum as to which came first, the hen
 
or the egg. He spoke of disarment being impossible until
 
confidence in Europe was reestablished.  I for one could
 
not begin to see how any nation could have real confidence
 
until disarmament had actually in great part taken place,
 
and-at least until certain types of offensive armaments
 
had been abolished, and particularly bombing airplanes.
 
I could not help but feel that the problem of physical
 
and national security must be solved before the atmosphere
 
could become propitious for the growth of that very tender
 
plant, confidence.
 
                                        Mr.Chamberlain