ABSTRACT
The British Empire's vulnerability was apparent, but it was not easy to see how its defence could be made more secure in a short time. The public was only slowly appreciating the great danger in which the country was placed. At the Geneva Conference in 1932 the British government urged that armaments should be reduced 'to the lowest point consistent with national safety. Britain had already accepted some naval reductions and any further drop would have to be 'part of an international agreement'. The desire to restrict the possibility of bombing came against the difficulty that facilities for civil aircraft construction could apparently be diverted for military purposes fairly easily. The nation clearly wished to avoid heavy expenditure on armaments. After the war, the incoming Prime Minister, Attlee, was determined to press ahead with a British atomic programme, partly for commercial reasons, partly because of doubt about American intentions, but most importantly because it reaffirmed Britain's position as Great Power.
