The Council of the League of Nations has shown for
the first
time that it is an independent body by publishing in Wednesday's **Ines its Armenian Memorandum, which the Allies had for-
bidden it to disclose. We had only been permitted to know that the Council of the League declined the mandate for Armenia on the ground that it had no money and no power. The Memo-
Ilandum, however, shows that the Council asked the Allies some 'very pertinent questions. Would they guarantee a loan for Armenia ? Would they provide armed forces to restore order ? Would they give Armenia a Black Sea port of her own ? The
Allies seem to have thought that by suppressing the Memo. randum they would be relieved of the trouble of answering these questions. But the whole future of the League of Nations depends upon publicity. If it is to become an effective world- authority, it must have the support of public opinion in the leading countries, and its proceedings and proposals must there- fore be made known to all the world. The Allies would be well advised to give the Council of the League some definite task to perform, and to assign it money and military support, if they are really in earnest about the League.
