30 A REVISION OF THE TREATY chap.

partly in contempt for the due form and processes oflaw.

For it was impossible to defend the legality of theoccupation of the three towns under the Treaty ofVersailles. 1 Mr. Lloyd George endeavoured to do soin the House of Commons, but at a later stage of thedebate the contention was virtually abandoned bythe Attorney-General.

The object of the Allies was to compel Germany toaccept the Decisions of Paris. But Germany' s refusalto accept these proposals was within her rights andnot contrary to the Treaty, since they lay outside theTreaty and included features unauthorised by theTreaty which Germany was at liberty either to acceptor to reject. It was necessary, therefore, for theAllies to find some other pretext. Their effort inthis direction was perfunctory, and consisted, asalready recorded, in a vague reference to war criminals,disarmament, and the payment of 20 milliard goldmarks.

The allegation of default in paying the 20 milliardgold marks was manifestly untenable at that date(March 7, 1921) ; for according to the Treaty, Ger-many had to pay this sum by May 1, 1921, " in suchinstalments and in such manner as the EeparationCommission may fix," and in March 1921 theReparation Commission had not yet demanded these

1 A week or two later the German Government made a formal appeal tothe League of Nations against the legality of this act; but I am not awarethat the League took any action on it.