W. Churchill'in E. Venizelos'a, Yunanistan'ın İngiltere'ye olan savaş borcunun tasfiyesine ilişkin mektubu.

-2- you have most eloquently called to mind. If, therefore, I am not able to follow the conclusions you propose in regard to the settlement of war debts, you must not ascribe it to any lack of sympathy for the sufferings of the Greek nation, whose freedom and development it has been the constant tradition of this country to protect and foster. The British nation, after the war, were willing and anxious to deal with the whole question of war debts in the largest pos sible manner. As was publicly announced by successive Governments, Gre- at Britain was prepared to cancel all the war debts due to her on con- dition that this policy was acceptable also to her own creditor. Unfor- tunately, the Government of the United States were unable to join us in this policy and required us to refund the debt we had incurred in the common cause on terms which will affect the standard of life in this country for more than two generations to come. The United States Gover- nment were perfectly entitled to demand from us, as they did, the an- nuities of 33 millions or more which we have paid since 1923 : and there was no ground on which we could refuse their demand. But, with this obligation to meet, His Majesty's Government had perforce to mo- dify their own attitude towards the debts owing to this country. They could not, in justice, ask the British taxpayer to face the burden of the debt to the United States and at the same time to remit the much greater debts due to this country. All they could do in this direction, they have done. They have announced that they will limit their demands on their own debtors to such amount as, with the receipts of Great Bri- tain on account of reparations, will suffice to cover the payments they must make to the United States, so that Great Britain will derive no