Sut,—With reference to. Arthur Balfour's " aloofness" and " equable
indifference " mentioned by Harold Nicolson in his fascinating Marginal Comment, your readers may be interested in the following characteristic example, which has never before been mentioned. In the spring or summer of 1918 Balfour, in his capacity of Foreign Secretary, addressed an American Zionist Medical Unit passing through London on its way to Palestine, then occupied enemy territory. In this address he expounded with lucidity and eloquence the profound and original views on Zionism and the Jews which Harold. Nicolson correctly attributes to him. I was present.in an official capacity as Genera] Secretary of the World Zionist Organisation, and made a summary of his speech with a view to publication, abroad in particular. I asked the Foreign Office for permission to publish. (The First World War was at its height, and censorship was strict.) After waiting a few days I remember being shown my own summary in an. official jacket with the following minute scribbled alongside: " Must this balderdash be presefved ? A.J.B."
We laughed heartily, taking this to be the Minister's consent. After all; we were not unmindful of the fact that Arthur Balfour's first published -work was entitled Defence of Philosophic Scepticism, later changed to Defence of Philosophic Doubt.—Yours obediently,
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