Welsh Journals

attack the Japanese bombers at their bases. In New York Lord Davies also spoke with the French financial expert, Jean Monnet, and with the philosopher, Dr. Murray Butler of Columbia University. On 4 August he flew to Los Angeles where he was met by Howard Hughes's secretary and right-hand, Noah Dietrich. The following day Hughes visited Lord Davies and discussed the project for an hour and an half Lord Davies concluded from the discussion that Hughes was 'a young man definitely interested in the Cause of Peace'. Yet Hughes argued that he did not want to dissipate whatever influence he possessed with his fellow-countrymen by embarking upon a plan which might end in disaster'. As such he was not prepared to commit himself, though Lord Davies 'gathered the impression' that Hughes was interested in the project: My impression of Mr Hughes is that he is a particularly earnest and serious individual, who, if he is once convinced that a proposition is right will go all out to achieve it. Nevertheless Lord Davies returned to New York empty-handed. He saw Monnet once more: I gathered from him that he was of the opinion that it would be impossible to find a sufficient number of rich people who would be willing to subscribe the preliminary amount required to fit out the expedition, and that the only chance of success was to come out into the open now and make a public appeal, signed by say, fifty persons in Europe and America, whose names would carry weight. Lord Davies sailed from Quebec on 13 August after what he considered to be a 'nebulous and unsatisfactory' visit. He felt sure that Hughes was sympathetic to the cause and hoped he would be prepared to visit London or Paris to continue discussions. However, it would be necessary to convince Hughes that the project was feasible and that the countries of Europe would do their share in providing money and recruits. On 17 August he wrote to Hughes, enclosing a brief report on the visit. He wrote: I have travelled 12,000 miles to submit these proposals to you, because I felt, and still feel, that you are the one man who can make a success of it in your country. Of course, there are risks, but just think if a voluntary movement on these lines succeeds, you will have done more to promote justice and peace than all the so- called statesmen have been able to do in the last one hundred years. If an Inter- national Air Force, voluntary organised and enlisted, can prevent the Japs from bombing open towns and slaughtering women and children, it will be the beginning of a new era. It will lay the foundations of the rule of law, and will serve as an object lesson to deter other countries from adopting this barbarous method of warfare.