Page:Paul Samuel Reinsch - Secret Diplomacy, How Far Can It Be Eliminated? - 1922.djvu/232



The diplomatic fraternity lives in its own realm of precedences, rivalries and traditions. To con- fine the intercourse and interchange of influences so narrowly, is a great weakness of our present political system.

The diplomatic office should be conceived as having the function to represent not only the spe- cial national interest of the respective country, but also, on an equal plane, its participation in all the activities and interests which are common to the nations of the world. The legations and embassies should be provided with a personnel of attaches not only for political and military af- fairs, but for commerce, education, science and social legislation. All these matters are already dealt with to some extent by common action among the nations. The sending of ministers as dele- gates to international technical conferences has often been criticized as importing into such con- ferences the narrow, separatist point of view of diplomatic politics. It should be exactly the other way; participation in such conferences ought to impart to diplomats a broad spirit of co- operation instead of a desire to maintain intact a theoretical isolation. That is the essence of the matter. As long as it is supposed that by jeal- ously scrutinizing every international relation-