IV

THE REPARATION BILL

101

Poincare have associated themselves, that I wasactuated not by the truth but by a supposed hostilityto France in speaking thus of the allegations of M.Klotz and M. Loucheur and some other Frenchmen.But I still urge on France that her cause may beserved by accuracy and the avoidance of overstate-ment ; that the damage she has suffered is morelikely to be made good if the amount is possible thanif it is impossible ; and that, the more moderate herclaims are, the more likely she is to win the supportof the world in securing priority for them. M.Brenier, in particular, has conducted a widespreadpropaganda with the object of creating prejudiceagainst my statistics. Yet to add a large number ofnoughts at the end of an estimate is not really anindication of nobility of mind. Nor, in the long run,are those persons good advocates of France 's causewho bring her name into contempt and her sincerityinto doubt by using figures wildly. We shall neverget to work with the restoration of Europe unlesswe can bring not only experts, but the public, toconsider coolly what material damage France hassuffered and what material resources of reparationGermany commands. The Times, in a leading article

France ') et de ses negociateurs. . . . Ces reproches et tant d'autres d'uneviolence brutale, dont jo n'aurais rien dit, si l'auteur, a tous risques, n'eutcru servir sa cause en les livranfc a la publicite, font assez clairement voirjusqu'ou certains esprits s'etaient montes." (In the English edition, M.Tardieu has caused the words fort en theme d' economiste to be translated bythe words " with some knowledge of economics but neither imagination norcharacter "—which seems rather a free rendering.)