The Milwaukee Leader

SAYS LACK OF
UNDERSTANDING
IS BIG DANGER

Seek State of Mind to
Back Up Kellogg
Pact.

WASHINGTON—Receiving the
American and foreign newspaper
correspondents at the British em-
bassy last night Premier Ramsay
MacDonald of Great Britain said:

"I am very pleased indeed to see
you tonight. There is one thing
that is uppermost in my mind and
I should like to express it to you
straightaway. That is I really am
deeply moved by the magnificent
reception that your people have giv-
en me since I landed in New York
today.

"It has been very touching to me
and it is almost impossible for me
to put into words how grateful I
am for the warm as well as friend-
ly reception which I have received
all along the line of my route. I
am sure that my daughter will say
exactly the same tomorrow when
she sees you.

Not First Visit.

"Of course this is not my first
visit to America, I always knew
that your people were warm heart-
ed but the proof they gave me to-
day has been very touching indeed
and I think that the people of Great
Britain when they read about it
will understand and appreciate it.
They will know that it means that
the reception given to me was really
a reception given to them through
me as their representative.

"I would like to assure you on
another point. That is that I am
here especially, do believe me, my
American friends, I am here not
as a party leader at all, I am here
as representing the whole body of
public opinion in Great Britain.
Their desire for cordial friendship
with your people is very great and
very profound and they are pray-
ing, they have been praying for
weeks since they knew that this
visit was likely to take place, that
a way might be found to bring them
in heart and in spirit closer and
closer to your people here.

Only Seek Understanding.

"Do not make any misunder-
standing about that because I see
that sometimes it is said elsewhere
that either one or other of us have
the idea of coming to an alliance.
There is no idea of alliances. None
whatever. America is blessed be-
yond words in occupying such a spe-
cial position that she does not re-
quire to consider anything in the
nature of an alliance. Alliances be-
long, as I said in New York, today,
to the old order of diplomacy.

"What we want, and I believe
what your people have shown that
you want, is just understanding,
and if I might appeal to the Amer-
ican press I should appeal to them
in this way. You have a tremen-
dous power in your hands to remove
misunderstanding. We don't al-
ways see eye to eye and I dare say
you often find admirable reason for
criticizing us and for disagreeing
with us, and all that I put in a
plea for is that disagreement never
be aggravated by misunderstanding.

Time to Work for Peace.

"The trouble in the world today,
everybody who has been foreign sec-
retary, and who has been concerned
with foreign relations, will tell you,
the trouble is misunderstanding,
and the great purpose, the main
purpose, of my visit to Washington
at the present moment, is that I
am to try and make misunderstand-
ing impossible. I do not know if I
can say anything in addition to that
which would be very profitable at
the present moment.

"Neither your president, I be-
lieve, nor myself—I can certainly
talk for myself—have any idea of
spending much time in discussing
details. We should like to survey
together the large and wide, the
high and deep problems of inter-
pational peace. We have had our
experiences of international war.
We have all taken risks in the mak-
ing of war and in the going into
wars. Isn't it time, my friends,
that we should take some risks to
secure peace?

Service to World.

"As long as we think of peace
in terms of war we will never get
peace. As soon as we think of in-
ternational dangers in terms of
peace, then I have got the belief
and the faith that we shall main-
tain peace. There is nothing that
is more inimical to a final establish-
ment of peace than a mentality
which assumes that you have got to
prepare for a possible war.

"Now America has done
the
whole world a very great service in
sponsoring the Kellogg pact. The
pact of peace signed in Paris only a
few months ago is one of the most
substantial advances toward the es-
tablishment of peace that ever has
been made, and for that Europe has
to thank America.

"Now why should we not go on?
We have all signed this pact. We
have declared that war no longer
enters into our minds as a national
policy. Shall we not all and al-
ways assume that it is going to be
effective? This is the whole prob-
lem of international affairs, to make
the pact of peace not only some-
thing that is put on paper, not only
something that is signed, but some-
thing that is actively influencing us
and all international policy.

Friendly to All.

"Another point, and probably the
last point I need mention to you,
is—do not, in whatever you say
about this, do not say anything that
will give other nations cause for
assuming that what we are doing
is hostile in any shape or form to
them. Nothing is further from our
thoughts. Any contribution to the
end that the United States and our-
selves should think more in harmo-
ny is not meant to be, and must
not be taken to be an attempt to
leave out other nations. It is quite
the opposite.

"Nothing, I am sure, would please
both of us more than that any
successful removal of misunder-
standing between America
and
Great Britain should be at once
followed by removal of other mis-
understandings with or between
other nations. We have no exclu-
sive ideas in mind at all.

"I think that is sufficient to give
you a general idea of what we hope
to do. I hope that as a result of
our conversations there will be a
warmer and still more cordial re-
Iationship between our two coun-
tries, and if that happens, I shall
go back a very contented and a very
happy man."