Q&A · 8:02:20-8:04:27

What could Britain seek in exchange for its part of Cameroon?

The proposed territorial exchange meets two objections: British Cameroon's defensive value beside Nigeria and its status as territory taken over from Germany.

Question

What would Britain demand in exchange for giving France its section of Cameroon in the 1920s?

Short answer

Its value for protecting Nigeria and its remembered trusteeship status would obstruct a simple transfer. No concrete bargain is settled.

Notes

The hypothetical transfer to France begins with joking demands for former English territories in France, rather than a worked-out bargain. The substantive objection is British Cameroon's position beside Nigeria. Its valley routes and rivers are described as useful to protecting British-controlled areas from French pressure. Its status is also recalled as a trusteeship acquired from Germany after World War I, with uncertainty in the terminology. On that understanding, Britain could not simply dispose of it as its own territory.