Part four opens with the argument that British criticism of the treaty helped hide advantages secured by the Royal Navy. Complaints about its burdens kept attention on what Britain had surrendered rather than what the settlement allowed. Dan Friedman accepts that interpretation while noting that advocates of the seventy-cruiser requirement still had reason to be dissatisfied. The exchange sets up a clause-by-clause test of Articles 14 to 16 against Britain's operational needs.
Notable Point · 1:34-2:30
How British complaints concealed treaty advantages
British criticism of the treaty drew attention to its burdens while making the provisions that suited Royal Navy strategy easier to overlook.