The reason why it was proposed to recruit the force
from the Allied Armies—in point of fact, from the French and British Armies—was, Sir Austen went on to explain, that it must be always ready and must be disciplined. A strictly international force, both ready and disciplined, was an irkoossibility. In the end Herr Stresemann accepted the proposed force on the understanding that the French troops should be with- drawn within three months, that the police should be employed only in exceptional circumstances, and that if the Governing Commission found that it could manage with fewer than 800 men it might reduce- the number without reference to the Council of the League. All this was a magnificent illustration of how genuine difficulties may melt away before public discussion among men of good will. Herr Stresemann has greatly increased his reputation. From the first moment he fell in exactly with the spirit of the League.
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