Britain expected Germany to rearm whether or not a naval agreement permitted it. Negotiated limits could make that program easier to monitor and improve intelligence about the scale and quality of German equipment. The arrangement also helped Britain justify rearmament against Japan by reopening treaty limits. The agreement did not solve German rearmament. It could still support intelligence collection and force planning even when British officials expected the other state to lie.
Notable Point · 16:52-18:13
The Anglo-German Naval Agreement as arms control and intelligence
The flawed Anglo-German Naval Agreement paired negotiated limits with intelligence gathering while Britain also sought room to rearm against Japan.