MacDonald, Henderson, and Labour disarmament policy

Arthur Henderson was MacDonald's principal foreign-policy ally and an ardent believer in disarmament. Henderson's concern extended to dual-use civil aircraft that could be converted into bombers or transports, showing how technological ambiguity complicated plans to remove instruments of war. The government hoped equal fleets would prevent Anglo-American war and release money for domestic priorities, but Britain had already planned a massive cruiser program and needed extensive destroyer construction. Supporters of disarmament approached peace through different beliefs: the horror of the Great War would prevent another, disarmament would make war impossible, or humanity was progressing beyond war. Few held more than one of these positions, but the hope of a peaceful world united them. The objection to unilateral disarmament rests on the distinction between an individual protected by a police force and a state without equivalent external protection. MacDonald and Henderson later split over the Depression response, when MacDonald formed a National Government and Henderson opposed restrictions on unemployment benefits.