24 A REVISION OF THE TREATY chap.

Mr. Keynes, and of the German delegate, CountBrockdorff-Kantzau,"—which was certainly rather un-fair to the Paris Decisions. But by that date, evenin France, to praise the perfections of the Treaty wasto make oneself ridiculous. " I am an ingenuousman," said M. Briand as he mounted the tribune," and when I received from M. Tardieu news that hewas going to interpellate me, I permitted myself tofeel a little pleased. I told myself that M. Tardieuwas one of the principal architects of the Treaty ofVersailles , and that as such, though he knew its goodqualities, he would also know its blemishes, and thathe would, therefore, be indulgent to a man who haddone his best in fulfilling his duty of applying it—mais voild (with a gesture)—I did not stop to rememberthat M. Tardieu had already expended all his stock ofindulgence upon his own handiwork.'' The monstrousoffspring of propaganda was slowly dying.

V. The First Conference of London (March 1-7, 1921)

In Germany the Paris proposals were takenseriously and provoked a considerable outcry. ButDr. Simons accepted the invitation to London and hisexperts got to work at a counter-proposal. " I was inagreement," he said at Stuttgart on February 13," with the representatives of Britain and France at theBrussels Conference. The Paris Conference shatteredthat. A catastrophe has occurred. German public