Page:Diplomacy and the Study of International Relations (1919).djvu/276

 from their knowledge that what they communicate may be published in a Blue Book, but I do not see any mode of obviating this inconvenience. You must publish for the use of Parliament and of the country information on foreign affairs.'—Ibid., 86–7.

(2) Evidence of the Earl of Clarendon: 'A great deal has been said about what is called "public" diplomacy, in contradistinction to "secret" diplomacy; do you think it is possible that the transactions between the Government of this country and foreign Governments could be carried on by public despatches?—If by public despatches is meant only those despatches which are in their entirety laid before Parliament, I should say that it would be difficult to carry them on, because I think that there must always be a certain discretion left to the Secretary of State as to what should be laid before Parliament, but that is the only difficulty I see in it; I am perfectly certain there is always laid before Parliament a very fair anid complete view of the transactions between this country and any other to which those papers may relate. I know that foreign Governments rather complain of our Blue Books, and to a certain extent they may curtail some of the communications that are made to our foreign Ministers, but I should be extremely sorry to see our system of publication of diplomatic papers in any way curtailed, or different from what it is; of course, there must always be care taken not to compromise individuals for the information they have given, but I believe it is an immense advantage to this country that our despatches and diplomatic transactions should be known, because if they have the approbation of Parliament and of the country, the Government then has the whole weight of public opinion in its favour, and it is that which gives such strength to our policy and to our opinions in foreign countries.

'What I wish to ask you is, whether despatches could be ublished from day to day as negotiations are going on?—I think that that would be impossible; and in support of that opinion, I may state that at the first meeting of the Congress of Paris, the Plenipotentiaries were all asked not to