ng it of all
references to a system of "mandates," which might very probably lead to
jealousies and misunderstandings.)

(3) Parts II. to XII., XIV., and XV. would then constitute the real
Treaty of Peace, in which it would, however, be necessary in the
numerous articles attributing functions, for the most part of a
temporary character, the "League of Nations," to substitute for any
mention of the League words descriptive of some other authority, yet to
be created, such as, for instance, "a Commission to be constituted by
the principal Allied and Associated Powers."

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
T. E. HOLLAND.
Oxford, December 16 (1919).

Sir,--Let me assure Lord Robert Cecil that I am perfectly serious in
giving expression to a long-felt wish that the Treaty of Peace could be
relieved of articles relating exclusively to an as yet to be created
League of Nations, and in proceeding to indicate the steps that must be
taken if this reform is to be effected.

It can hardly be necessary also to assure Lord Robert that I am fully
aware of the formidable, though perhaps not insuperable, difficulties
which would beset any efforts to carry out my suggestions. He may have
inferred so much from my letter of the 16th, in which, treating the
question whether it is now too late to attempt a remedy for the existing
state of things as beyond the competence of an outsider, I describe it
as one which can be answered "only by the diplomatists whose business it
is to be intimately in touch with the susceptibilities of the various
nations concerned."

On a point of detail, I am surprised that Lord Robert is unwilling that
the contents of Part XIII. should be removed to their natural context,
on the ground that the Labour organisation might be annoyed if this were
done. I am, however, confident that the organisation is too intelligent
not to see that it would lose nothing if the articles in which it is
interested were made an integral part of a Convention constituting a
League of Nations; the League being already solely charged with giving
effect to the articles in question.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
T. E. HOLLAND.
Oxford, December 20 (1919).

Sir,--Professor Alison Phillips is not quite accurate in attributing to
me a belief that the task of amending the Treaty of Versailles is "not
beyond the powers of competent diplomatists." No such belief is
expressed in my letter of December 16, in which I was careful to ad