Story of International Relations

3 CONFERENCES AT PRAGUE AND BERGEN AND THE LOOMING WAR 305

interest in the situation in the Far East with a view to ‘such Conference
getting in touch’ with the parties to the dispute and attempting to arrive
at ‘some settlement or concerting such measures as may be necessary and
practicable.’^228 After having stated that in the immediate term this was
the only possible course of action open to the LON, Bruce addressed
himself to the economic and financial work of the organisation, stating
that he did not accept the view that ‘political appeasement’ must be real-
ised before any advances could be made in terms of international eco-
nomic cooperation. Of this view, he stated the following:

I suggest it has been falsified by the actual events of recent years. Indeed,

our political difficulties arise indirectly, if not directly, in a considerable

measure from economic causes. With poor and insecure living standards,

with low incomes, a poor scale of nutrition, with the fear of unemployment

ever present, individual and family life becomes depressed and hopeless.

In these circumstances, unrest and dissatisfaction are prevalent. People are

driven to seek distraction and inspiration in exaggerated forms of nation-

alism and in dreams of national aggrandisement. If, however, we can by

international co-operation improve living standards, bring about a higher

standard of nutrition, lessen disease, increase health and remove the haunt-

ing fear of unemployment, I believe we shall change the whole world

atmosphere, allay much of the unrest that exists to-day, and pave the way

for the solution of the political problems that confront us. In attempting

this task, we can derive great encouragement from the excellent work which

the League has already accomplished in the economic and social fields.^229

Bruce then pointed out that some important documents had been
recently published by the LON on economic and social questions: the
reports of the Raw Materials Committee; the report of the Economic
Committee on the Present Phase of Economic Relations; the Note by the
Secretary-General on the Economic Situation; and, most importantly in
his view, the final report of the Mixed Committee on Nutrition. Bruce
noted that the LON’s work in the economic field had been helped by the
cooperation of states which were not members of the LON. In this regard
he drew particular attention to the ‘active cooperation’ of the United
States in the context of the International Labour Office and on the tech-
nical committees of the LON and noted that all the LON’s efforts in the

(^228) Ibid.
(^229) Ibid.