The Struggle For Peace

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be foreseen. I still hold that view; but here what we are doing
is to enter into a specific engagement directed to a certain
eventuality, namely, if such an attempt should be made to
dominate the world by force. The right hon. Gentleman
rightly said that the matter could not end where it stands to-
day. If that policy were the policy of the German Govern-
ment it is quite clear that Poland would not be the only country
which would be endangered, and the policy which has led us
to give this assurance to Poland, of course could not be
satisfied or carried out if we were to confine ourselves to a
single case which, after all, might not be the case in point*
These recent happenings have, rightly or wrongly, made every
State which lies adjacent to Germany unhappy, anxious, un-
certain about Germany's future intentions. If that is all a
misunderstanding, if the German Government has never had
any such thoughts, well, so much the better. In that case
any agreements which may be made to safeguard the inde-
pendence of these countries will never have to be called upon,
and Europe may then gradually simmer down into a state
of quietude in which their existence even might be forgotten.
" Let me emphasise again, whatever the outcome of the
discussions which are now taking place between His Majesty's
Government and the Governments of other countries, they
contain no threat to Germany so long as Germany will be a
good neighbour. I am glad to hear what the right hon.
Gentleman said about encirclement. It is fantastic to suggest
that a policy which is a policy of self-defence can be described
as encirclement if by that term is meant encirclement for the
purpose of some aggressive action.
" I do not wish to-day to attempt to specify what Govern-
ments we may now, or in the near future, find it desirable to
consult with on the situation, but I would make one allusion
to the Soviet Union, because I quite appreciate that the Soviet
Union is always in the thoughts of hon. Members opposite, and
that they are still a little suspicious as to whether those so-
called ideological differences may not be dividing us upon what
otherwise it would obviously be in the interests of both to
do. I do not pretend for one moment that ideological differ-
ences do not exist; they remain unchanged. But, as I said
on Friday in answer to a question, our point is that whatever