The danger is, rather, that since his knowledge of foreign
condi- tions is specialised rather than general, he may be tempted to regard his task either as easier, or else as more difficult, than, in fact, it is. On the one hand, he may fall into the error committed by Mr. Neville Chamberlain of imagining that the immense complexity of international affairs has in some manner become entangled in the skein of• diplorhatic professionalism and that the tangle can be suddenly unwound by " the fresh mind " or the " new approach." Even as Mr. Chamberlain believed that by applying business methods to diplomacy he could convince the maniacs with whom he had to deal of the integrity of his purpose and the moderation of his demands, so also might Mr. Bevin suppose that the sympathies which his party have for so long manifested towards the resurgent movements in Europe will create an atmosphere so friendly as to dissolve all international rivalries. It is questionable, however, whether the love and sympathy which all Socialists felt for each other when they were in.a minority will survive into the epoch when they themselves become the responsible defenders of their national rights and interests. I remember some years ago being startled, and a trifle shocked, when I observed a Polish Socialist kissing Mr. Hugh Dalton upon both cheeks in the Opera House at Paris ; I am unaware whether this particular Pole has since become a member of the Polish Govern- ment or has been relegated into obscurity owing to " diversionary activities " ; but I have a suspicion that, after some time in office, the kisses will become fewer and further between. And in any case Mr. Bevin is himself too great a realist to suppose that such youthful amenities will be more than an incidental emollient in the after years of adult responsibility.
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