That I say to
clear the ground from the point of view of obligation. I think it was
due to prove our good faith to the House of Commons that I should give
that full information to the House now, and say what I think is obvious
from the letter I have just read, that we do not construe anything which
has previously taken place in our diplomatic relations with other powers
in this matter as restricting the freedom of the Government to decide
what attitude they should take now, or restrict the freedom of the House
of Commons to decide what their attitude should be.
Well, Sir, I will go further, and I will say this: The situation in the
present crisis is not precisely the same as it was in the Morocco
question. In the Morocco question it was primarily a dispute which
concerned France--a dispute which concerned France and France
primarily--a dispute, as it seemed to us, affecting France out of an
agreement subsisting between us and France, and published to the whole
world, in which we engaged to give France diplomatic support. No doubt
we were pledged to give nothing but diplomatic support; we were, at any
rate, pledged by a definite public agreement to stand with France
diplomatically in that question.
The present crisis has originated differently.
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