WAR MEMOIRS OF DAVID LLOYD GEORGE 1917

IMPERIAL WAR CABINET AND CONFERENCE 23
the Peace Conference and of their relative importance, rather
than as definite instructions from which they are not intended
in any circumstances to depart, noted that the demands
of the British Empire would require to be correlated
at the Conference with those of our Allies.
Mr. Henderson dissented from this resolution, as he said
that the Labour Party could not agree to any annexations
after the War.
The report of Lord Milner's Committee on non-territorial
peace issues raised much more far-reaching questions,
such as disarmament, the League of Nations, indemnity,
trade arrangements after the War. These provoked a remarkable
discussion at two successive meetings of the Imperial
War Cabinet and the summary of these discussions as
recorded in the Minutes of the Cabinet is perhaps worth
transcription. These deliberations have their special value
at the present time as they indicate how the statesmen of
the British Empire in their first collective examination of
proposals for disarmament and the establishment of the
League of Nations foresaw all the practical difficulties that
have since arisen to thwart the exalted purpose of peace
lovers throughout the world.
With references to conclusion Number 6 of Lord Milner's
Committee (vide Appendix D), the Prime Minister expressed
the view that the Committee had rather thrown cold water
on the idea of a League of Nations, and had not dealt at all
with the question of disarmament or limitation of armaments,
or of the sanctions by which the conclusions of a League of
Nations, or the provisions of any agreement for the limitation
of armaments, should be enforced. He thought that there
would be great disappointment if it were thought that at the
end of the War nothing could be done in these directions.
With regard to the limitation of armaments, Lord Robert
Cecil pointed out that he had submitted a memorandum in