2 PARIS, 1937: COLONIAL QUESTIONS AND PEACE 229I think I may say that we now have a fairly definite idea of the problems
which, in the view of the German Government, have to be solved if we are
to arrive at that condition of European affairs which we all desire, and in
which nations might look upon one another with a desire to co-operate
instead of regarding each other with suspicion and resentment. If we are
to arrive at any such condition as that, obviously it cannot be achieved by
a bargain between two particular countries. This is rather to be considered,
as we would consider it, as a first step towards a general effort to arrive at
what has sometimes been called a general settlement, to arrive at a posi-
tion, in fact, when reasonable grievances may be removed, when suspicions
may be laid aside, and when confidence may be again be restored.^506According to Wood, this statement ‘characterized the new trend
in British policy toward Germany—that of actively seeking methods of
appeasement....There was no denial here that the colonial problem was
being considered; there was rather the implication that it, along with
other outstanding issues, would receive attention in an effort, with other
countries, to reach a general settlement.’^507 Seizing on this implication,
Churchill observed in Parliament on December 21 that since Halifax’s
visit to Germany, which, he noted, had caused ‘widespread commotion’
in Europe, the German government had raised questions concerning ‘the
restoration of war conquests.’^508 Churchill stated in the same context
that should a specific request be made in this regard, the response of the
British government should be that it was ready to discuss ‘in a friendly
spirit’ the restoration of war conquests, albeit provided that ‘every
other country, or the bulk of the countries that made such conquests,
are ready to join with us, and discuss the situation on equal terms.’^509
Churchill well knew that obtaining the agreement of all or even the bulk
of the beneficiaries of war conquests, a list which included Belgium,
Czechoslovakia, Italy, Japan, Poland, Romania and Yugoslavia, to their
restoration was out of the question, especially as several of them, as he
told his parliamentary colleagues, owed their very national existence to
(^506) 330 Parl. Deb., H.C. (5th series), December 21, 1937, 1804–805. See also Wood,
Peaceful Change and the Colonial Problem, 134.
(^507) Wood, Peaceful Change and the Colonial Problem, 134.
(^508) 330 Parl. Deb., H.C. (5th series), December 21, 1937, 1833–834.
(^509) Ibid., 1834.