Elapsed time is a political variable in the counterfactual as well as part of the construction timetable. A conference in 1925 or 1926 would bring negotiators several years farther from the shock that supported limitation after the First World War. As the horror of war fades from leaders' calculations, completed ships, national status, and bargaining advantages become easier to defend. A delayed settlement could therefore be less restrictive even if governments still wanted an agreement.
Notable Point · 1:14:52-1:15:17
How treaty delay weakens the memory of war
A 1925-26 conference would be negotiated farther from the First World War and with less immediate political restraint from its trauma.