Then the war ended. About 24,000,000 francs had been invested at Châteauroux. The British had spent £3,000,000 in the manufacture of components and the Americans a like sum, expressed in dollars. France had not put in a centime; yet she had expected to receive nine-sixteenths of the first year’s output. The question was, what share of the heavy loss should France stand? The French arrangement with the Tank Commission was tantamount to a contract, with the British-American partnership standing in the light of contractor. It was evident, then, that the French were morally bound to pay cancellation charges--to stand part of the loss, in other words. The British and American negotiators at London thought it would be about right if France would pay back the 24,000,000 francs expended by the British and Americans at Châteauroux, and the British and Americans would throw in the tank plant itself as an inducement. Then the question arose, how would this 24,000,000 francs be divided? Both England and America had lost heavily in the big-tank enterprise--each had, in fact, agreed to let these losses balance each other; neither was to bill the other for anything in the settlement--and here seemed to be the chance to get some of the money back. Naturally, the Americans assumed that the French reimbursement would be divided equally, since both America and England had contributed equally to the cost of the Châteauroux plant. But no, the British contended; since they had surrendered their share of the first year’s production of tanks, the lion’s share of the reimbursement should go to them. There was logic in this, but, without deciding the point, both sides repaired to Paris to present their joint tank claim to the French; and then it appeared that the British and Americans had been dividing some French chickens before they were hatched. Through M. Louis Loucheur, the Minister of Munitions, the French Government metaphorically lifted its eyebrows in surprise that its associates could present such a claim. To be sure, the French expected to take the Anglo-American heavy tanks, but so did the Americans and British expect to receive light tanks from the French industry. These were merely understandings, not formal contracts; and the French, to do their share, had made large expenditures in developing the light-tank manufacture for the benefit of all. Needless to say, the French Government had lost heavily in terminating its tank industry. These national losses should set off each other....