62

ESSAYS IN PERSUASION

PART

I did not enter the war for profit or to investmy money well. I have had my reward in thewords you have just uttered. The loans areforgiven. Return to your homes and use theresources I release to uplift the poor and theunfortunate.” And it would be an essentialpart of the little scene that his reply should comeas a complete and overwhelming surprise.

Alas for the wickedness of the world! It isnot in international affairs that we can securethe sentimental satisfactions which we all love.For only individuals are good, and all nationsare dishonourable, cruel, and designing. Andwhilst the various Prime Ministers will tele-graph something suitable, drafted by theirprivate secretaries, to the effect that America ’saction makes the moment of writing the mostimportant in the history of the world and provesthat Americans are the noblest creatures living,America must not expect adequate or appro-priate thanks.

(ii) The Balfour Note (1925)

The Balfour Note insists that our receiptsfrom Germany -plus our receipts from our Alliesmust equal our payments to the United States. When the Note was written, its effect was in-determinate. We did not know how much itwould require France to pay, or the proportionthat this would bear to what Germany wouldbe paying France. Now we can make limitingestimates of both sums.