Letters and Papers Concerning the Trans-Persian Railway and Other Railways in Persia [‎166r] (331/442)

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2023 Supply (Committee).
and the probability of an amount of inter
national tension which might at any
moment have become dangerous, if not
disastrous, to the relations between the
two countries.
The next subject, and again I am follow
ing the hon. Gentleman opposite, is the
Mediterranean, and I am afraid that what
I have to say on that will be more in the
nature of criticism than anything else which
I intend to say to-night. I should have pre
ferred, I must say, if the right hon. Gen
tleman had simply told us that he pre
ferred to leave that subject till the state
ment of policy had been made in connec
tion with the Naval Debate. I would
have preferred it, because personally I do
not see how I can say anything useful
about the position in the Mediterranean
till I know exactly what the Government
are going to do. I fancy the vagueness
of the speech of the right hon. Gentleman
was due to something of the same cause,
and that he cannot speak very clearly
till he knows what they mean to do.
Sooner or later we shall know, but even
in what he said to-night, if I understood
it correctly, there is something with
which at the outset I must express my dis
agreement. As I understood him, the
right hon. Gentleman said that we did
not mean to abandon the Mediterranean,
but that we meant to have such a
naval force as would still make us
a naval power in the Mediterranean.
I do not think that is at all adequate to our
needs. The right hon. Gentleman broke
up, as he told us, the consideration of our
naval strength with our foreign policy, and
broke-it up in a way with which I do not
disagree. He pointed out clearly that our
policy of defence at home against any pos
sible attack must be so great that we
should be under no fear, otherwise diplo
macy would not benefit us. That is true,
but I do not think I am exaggerating, I am
certainly expressing not only my own
opinion, but a view I hold strongly on this
subject, that just as the defensive forces in
our own home borders capable of protect
ing us against any possible attack is neces
sary for our existence here, so, in my
opinion, a naval force in the Mediterranean
strong enough to overcome any probable
combination against us is essential for the
continued existence of the British Empire.
That is all I want to say. I should not
have said so much if the right hon. Gen
tleman had not referred to it. Anything
further I desire to say on the subject can
Foreign Office. 2024
be said much more appropriately when we
know exactly what the policy of the
Government is.
The right hon. Gentleman, in conclusion,
referred to our relations with Germany.
I can say nothing to-night on that subject
which I have not said before, and which
has not been said many times'by the right
hon. Gentleman. We have no quarrel with
Germany; we seek no quarrel with Ger
many. There is no one here who would
not look with absolute repugnance upon
war with Germany, even though we knew
we would be victorious in that war. No
one desires anything but the best under
standing with Germany. That has been
said in the most distinct and sincere way
by men representing all parties in respon
sible positions in this country. I do not
think anything is gained by constant talk
about the necessity of a good understand
ing. We have no quarrel, and the best
way of keeping on the best possible footing
with Germany is by being ready at any
time when any particular cause, not of
friction, but of difference, arises to meet it
in the fairest way, and, for the rest, to
show patience, realising that in that way
only can the best understanding be arrived
at. Nobody in this country desires war. I
am certain it is not in the interests of Ger
many that there should be war. Germany,
more probably than ever before, can say,
as we have ever said in this country, that
the greatest of German interests is peace.
It is inconceivable to me that under present
conditions war could break out in which
Germany would be engaged which would
not involve practically the whole of
Europe. No one could look upon such an
event as that without the utmost alarm.
In addition to that, Germany’s trade now
has grown at such a rate that her trade
interests are against it. But in the past
there have been many wars which were
clearly against the interests of the coun
tries engaged in them. Nobody can be
sure that the same thing may not happen
in the future.
But while no one desires or expects war,
it is the duty of any Government to ensure
that a possible war is prepared against in
advance. I do not think that I am at all
by nature an alarmist. But our position
in the last six or seven years has com
pletely changed. Just think what the posi
tion to-day is of all the great Powers which
are separated from each other by a land
frontier. Take, for instance, France and
Germany. Every night, not merely now,
or last autumn, when there was thought
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10 July 1912