In February 1935, French and British Ministers met in London and decided that the defunct armaments clauses of the Treaty of Versailles should be abolished. They would be replaced by a new agreement on arms—in particular an air pact—as well as an “Eastern Locarno,” in which Germany would “accept” her eastern frontiers. In return, Hitler would be asked to join a multilateral pledge to uphold Austrian independence and to return Germany to the League of Nations.
