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well-placed Round Table members to weaken the League of Nations. Though that action failed, the Round Table was arguably more successful in subverting the mandates system, transforming it into little more than a League-approved imperialist land-grab. This period would also reveal how divided the Round Table had become between imperialists and advocates of world government. well-placed Round Table members to weaken the League of "cultivat[ing] the Prime Minister's mind".'" Even some academic Nations. Though that action failed, the Round Table was arguably istorians have concluded there was "a good deal of truth" more successful in subverting the mandates system, transforming it (Lockwood) to these claims of "Fabian-like Milnerite penetration" into little more than a League-approved imperialist land-grab. This (Naylor) of Lloyd George's government.'* period would also reveal how divided the Round Table had become More importantly, this "Milnerite" ascendancy came at the between imperialists and advocates of world government. expense of the Foreign Office, which "might more properly have een described as a 'passed-over' department with little influence on A"LITTLE BODY OF ILLUMINATI" the policy-making process".'* Milner and his acolytes had justified The Round Table had reached the apex of its political power and their new dominance by painting the Foreign Office as incompe- influence during World War I. During the years 1916 to 1919 tent. According to Kerr, the Foreign Office had "no conception of many Round Table members occupied senior positions in the gov- policy"; Amery accused it of a "general absence of definite pur- ernment of British Prime Minister David Lloyd George. This was ose"; and Milner charged that its lack of "energy and promptness no accident, for since January 1916 a number of key Round Table _ of action" was threatening Britain's interests.'* With Lloyd George members, including Milner, Kerr, Dawson, Amery and Waldorf sympathetic to such sentiments, Round Table influence over British Astor had begun to cultivate the ambitious Lloyd George. Dining foreign policy only grew, much to the chagrin of the Foreign together every Monday, often at Amery's residence, the primary Office. Thus it was not surprising that in mid-1917, the Foreign obsession of this so-called "ginger group" was the need to replace Office's Permanent Undersecretary, Lord Hardinge was privately the then Prime Minister, Herbert Asquith, complaining about his experienced officials with "firm leadership". For most Round being sidelined while "amateur diplomacy Table members the obvious choice as Prime holds the field".'* Minister was Milner. However an apparently blundered attempt by Dawson and Astor to A HOUSE DIVIDED convince Asquith to resign in favour of In view of the Round Table's rise to power Milner merely paved the way for the more it is ironic that it was divided on the question olitically astute Llo’ eorge to assume the of the League of Nations. In fact some of its politically Lloyd Georg: he f the League of Nati In fi f i prime ministership in December 1916.'” key members were deeply sceptical of Although Milner was trumped, Lloyd . Wilson's scheme. Milner had little faith in George's triumph was an immediate boon to In view of the Round the concept, telling an associate in 1919 that the Round Table as its members joined the Table's rise to power it he was "very doubtful about the success of new government at a variety of levels. Milner ar . . the League of Nations". He believed the was appointed to the five-member War Is Ironic that it was League could only work "by virtue of the Cabinet, initially as a minister without portfo- divided on the question influence | of the British Empire and lio, but in April 1918 he became America", but without that support, "the Secretary of State for War. Other of the League of larger League has no future".'* Milner Nations. Round Table appointments included: also cautioned Lloyd George against Philip Kerr as Lloyd George's private relying on the "shadow" of the League secretary and foreign policy adviser; of Nations at the expense of the "sub- Leo Amery as an Assistant Secretary to stance" of the British Empire.” Amery the War Cabinet Secretariat; William was more scathing, dismissing the Waldorf Astor was appointed as Lloyd League on various occasions as "moon- George's Personal Parliamentary shine", "a farce", and a "sham struc- Secretary; Robert Brand, already serving ture”.'* In one acerbic communication on the Imperial Munitions Board based to Lord Robert Cecil—later Britain's in Ottawa, was promoted to Deputy Foreign Secretary and co-author of the Chairman of the British Mission in League covenant—Amery wrote: Washington DC; and John Buchan "leagues of peace, disarmament etc are joined Lloyd George's staff as Director all fudge". An unimpressed Cecil dis- of Information. Also joining the government was new Round Table —_— missed Amery's criticisms as "pure Germanism".'” member Alfred Zimmern who was shifted from the Ministry of Philip Kerr also had his doubts about the League. In articles he Reconstruction to the Political Intelligence Department at the had written for The Round Table during the war, Kerr had endorsed Foreign Office in 1917. Only Lionel Curtis was excluded from Anglo-American cooperation and the spread of democracy as the Whitehall, retaining his teaching position at Oxford (and travelling basis for international peace. He had also focussed on recreating to India in the meantime) until called upon in late 1918 to join the the so-called "Concert of Europe" that had kept the peace following British delegation at the Paris Peace Conference. the Napoleonic wars. In private discussions with the US The presence of so many Round Table members within Lloyd Ambassador to Britain, Walter Page, Kerr had rejected the idea of a George's government, in the War Cabinet, Cabinet Secretariat, the "peace league" in favour of a permanent great-power conference Foreign Office and especially in his private secretariat or "Garden based on voluntary participation, no surrender of national sover- Suburb"—so named because they were housed in huts constructed eignty and an organisation that "would have no executive authority in the garden of 10 Downing Street—did not pass unnoticed. In or military power". Kerr was, according to Egerton, "emphatically February 1917 one British journalist wrote scathingly of a "little opposed to the plans for guaranteed or enforced peace now being body of illuminati" from "the class of travelling empirics of Empire, propounded by pro-league groups in Britain and America". In who came in with Lord Milner" and had now taken up residence in _ pursuing this course, observes Kendle, Kerr was "supported by the "41 the "Garden Suburb", he argued, for the sinister purpose of — majority of the [Round Table's] London group". Table's rise to power it _ is ironic that it was of the League of Nations. 32 = NEXUS JUNE — JULY 2005 In view of the Round divided on the question www.nexusmagazi ne.com