British Interests Quotes



Turkey had massacred many Armenians. The British government protested strongly and made their views known to the Turks. The result was resentment by Turkey, who regarded the matter as a purely internal affair, and the curtailment of British economic interests in the area.


Grey’s statement which had been made without any coordination with the Prime Minister, came to be called the “Grey Declaration,” and was the talk of diplomatic Europe. Grey claimed to be only talking about a hypothetical possibility, but the French actually had designs on the “other side” of Africa. They perceived that Grey was threatening war and referred to the declaration as the “fameuse manifestation.” The French sought and obtained a rapprochement and left the Niger valley to the British.


Cooper had resigned from the government after Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned from his meeting with Hitler with the naïve view that peace could be made with Germany. There was a significant pro-Fascist, Nazi sympathetic segment of British society including the former King, the Duke of Winsdor, who were in favor of making an alliance with Hitler and not opposing the Nazi “reform” of Europe. Surrender was his word for their alternative.


It was not published and distributed widely until 1774. Some of the Patriots of Early America realized that the oppressions of British rule were coming from Parliament and initially took the position that only the King could make laws for the colonies and not Parliament. Therefore, they were as Englishmen challenging illegal English laws. Most American hostility was directed at Parliament and not the King. However, once there was any physical resistance, King George came down with such a heavy hand that American hatred transferred to him. For related quotes on the King/Parliament issue, see {639145}, {639144}, {639143}, {639142}, {639141} & {639137}