In other words, the Protocol itself is to depend wholly upon the work of the Conference; it is to the Conference that the whole responsibility is transferred. If the Conference does not adopt the plan, and then if that plan is not carried out[7] within the time and on the conditions that the Conference declares, the Protocol falls. Never, I venture to say, has any important treaty ever been drawn up depending upon a more impressive condition subsequent. [1] See Annex D, p. 210 at p. 213, _et seq._ [2] Annex F, p. 263. [3] p. 5. [4] This was written before the meeting of the Council in Rome in December, 1924. The Disarmament Conference certainly cannot meet before 1926. The present situation of the preliminaries is stated in a note to the Resolution of the Council of October 3, 1924, _infra_, p. 215. [5] For a statement of existing European armaments, see note to page 100. [6] Annex F, p. 263. [7] See the discussion as to this, _supra_, p. 7, showing that the "plan" will be another Treaty or Treaties and that the "carrying out" probably means ratification thereof. NOTE.--A statement of existing European Forces was made to Parliament on June 18, 1924 (Hansard, Parliamentary Debates [Commons], N. S., Vol. 174, page 2151). It gave the following figures: Great Britain ........ 155,935 Latvia ............... 20,000 Germany .............. 100,000 Lithuania ............ 15,000 Austria .............. 21,500 Poland ............... 250,000 Hungary .............. 35,000 Norway ............... 16,000 Jugo Slavia .......... 130,000 Sweden ............... 32,000 Rumania .............. 125,000 Denmark .............. 27,000 Czecho Slovakia ...... 149,877 Greece ............... 110,000 Netherlands .......... 163,262 Bulgaria ............. 20,000 Italy ................ 250,000 Turkey ............... 88,000 Switzerland .......... 500,000 France ............... 732,248 Soviet Union ......... 1,003,000 Belgium .............. 86,531 Finland .............. 30,000 Spain ................ 240,113 Esthonia ............. 16,000 Portugal ............. 40,000 Total armed forces in Europe, 1924 ........... 4,356,466 {101} CHAPTER XVII. DEMILITARIZED ZONES. Emphasis is laid by the Protocol on the creation and maintenance of demilitarized zones along frontiers. Article 9 of the Protocol treats of such zones, and their violation is, by Article 10 made the equivalent of a resort to war. Any question of the real value, in the strict military sense, of agreements for demilitarized zones, may be left at one side. Undoubtedly, expert opinions differ in this matter. At least it may be said that such agreements have a value in the realm of feeling, which is as much a reality in international affairs as is a fleet of battleships.