Avoiding "pocket battleships" in negotiations

To many students of history, the Versailles Treaty after WWI was an instrument of, or at least an excuse for, the rise of Adolph Hitler. Many Germans were offended by the treaty terms, and it is clear that soon after the ink was dry, Germany pursued various ways to circumvent the treaty. When faced with limiting terms for the construction of battleships, the Germans pushed the terms of the treaty to the limit. The result was a class of “pocket battleships” with names like the Graf Spee. They were fast, light, and heavily armored.