The conference at Spa was followed by a different kind of conference at Brussels —of financial experts, not politicians. Called by the Council of the League of Nations, it was attended by delegates from 35 countries, including four nonmember, ex-enemy countries, with the purpose of exploring means of restoring international credit and furthering trade. Originally scheduled for the end of May, it was postponed until July and finally took place at the end of September. This gathering stemmed from the memorial to the League of Nations in January concerning the international loan; Alexandre Celier of the French Ministry of Finance, who was one of its vice-presidents, wrote to Keynes in the preparatory stages (30 June 1920) that it was ‘due a votre initiative’. (It owed ‘a very great deal in the way of clear thinking’ to the British delegates, The Timers correspondent remarked.) Celier's letter thanked Keynes for sending him copies of both the English and French editions of Economic Consequenees. He also asked Keynes what the prospects were of Brussels achieving an understanding of the necessity for international solidarity in financial policy.

To ALEXANDRE CELIER, 8 July 1920

My dear Monsieur Celier,

It has been a great pleasure to me to receive your friendly letter of the 30th June. In spite of the criticism with which many of my ideas have been received in the French Press, I am sincerely aiming at the advantage of your country as well as of mine, and most firmly believe better prospects are opened up by an attempt to deal with the facts objectively than by a tendency, however natural, to persevere in illusion.