Ominous Week

Monday. At Geneva, the Assembly of The League of Nations met beneath the glare of "movie arc lights," and chose Sir Austen Chamberlain, the British Foreign Secretary, to chairman a committee created to pass upon Germany's "credentials" and report (perfunctorily, of course) upon the eligibility of Germany to enter the League.

Meanwhile the Council of the League of Nations met-"without movie arcs"-and found itself still completely deadlocked as to whether Germany alone should be given a permanent Council seat,* or whether Poland, Spain, Brazil or some other Minor Power should be permanently seated likewise (TIME, March 15).

Since no French Cabinet existed, owing to the fall of Briand, who had not yet reformed his ministry (see FRANCE), the representatives of the Powers assembled at Geneva delayed taking action of any sort until the temper of the forthcoming French Government should be known.

Tuesday. Although no French Ministry had yet been assembled, Senor Quinones de Leon (Spain) and Senhor Mello Franco (Brazil) issued implied threats that as nonpermanent Council members they would vote against admitting Germany to a permanent seat unless their nations were at once permanently seated.

Dr. Unden (Sweden) reaffirmed his well known position "taken on principal" that Germany, as a "Great Power," should alone be admitted, at present. He made it clear that he would use Sweden's vote to kill the candidacy of any other nation.

Wednesday. With the news that M. Briand had reformed his Cabinet (see FRANCE) Sir Austen, allegedly feeling that the Briand-Chamberlain promise to Poland would have to be kept, attempted to conciliate the Germans by inviting Dr. Luther and Herr Stresemann to sit informally at a Council meeting called to arrive at some compromise. The Germans adroitly "declined" and held to their position: That Germany had applied for League membership only on the basis of the League status quo at the time of the Locarno agreements, and would withdraw her application if not alone seated permanently on the Council.

The Council thereupon met in secret without the Germans. Sir Austen Chamberlain was alleged to have completely lost his temper, and roundly berated Dr. Unden with "violent threats." When the session broke up "the Terrible Swede" issued forth "with jaw set, and eyes gleaming with anger." He was alleged to have declared "Sir Austen's language was the most disgraceful I have ever experienced. I will not change my point of view or my stand. My instructions are specific to vote against the admission of any nation except Germany to a Council seat."

Thursday. Upon this disheartening scene M. Briand, again Premier and Foreign Minister of France, burst like a tired but indefatigable warrior. Said he to the assembled Council:

"Do you realize, gentlemen, that we now have deliberation not upon permanent seats in the Council, out on peace or war? If there is failure here, it is failure of the Locarno agreements-Europe again divided into two or three camps, the spirit of revenge stirred up in Europe and in five years a new world conflict."

To pressmen he declared:

"As a superstitious Breton, I almost believe that a malicious pixie is pursuing me, for a malign fate always overtakes me on the eve of completing a work for peace. I was turned out after signing the Cannes pact and again overthrown on the eve of putting Locarno into practice at Geneva.

"But I mean to get the better of him this time, although there are difficulties still. The trouble which has arisen over Germany's admission and Poland's and Spain's claims to permanent seats in the Council is the stupidest and most incomprehensible international muddle I have ever known and unless we can straighten it out the world is doomed to slip back into the old perpetual menace of war, and humanity, which had come nearer a prospect of reasonably assured peace, will again be plunged into a nightmare of uncertainty."

Having thus delivered his habitual public manifesto, he set to work-attended and summoned numerous secret gatherings of all concerned.

Friday. The Assembly convened and harkened to Mr. Michael Mac White (Irish Free State), who advanced the theory that the headquarters of the League should be moved from Geneva to some strip of especially internationalized territory more conveniently situated. Foreign Minister Motta of Switzerland arose in a passion and expressed "grief and regret" that the Assembly should ever consider such a proposal. By way of soothing this new tempest, the Assembly voted to approve plans for a number of new League buildings to be erected at Geneva.

Meanwhile M. Briand's fine diplomatic hand was seen when he persuaded; 1) Dr. Unden to agree to resign Sweden's nonpermanent Council seat (thereby leaving vacant a seat to which the Assembly could elect Poland or any state it chose), IF the German delegates would agree to enter the League in these circumstances. 2) Senor Quinones de Leon (Spain) and Senhor Mello Franco (Brazil) to agree to withdraw their countries' claims to permanent seats until the next regular League Session, IF Germany would agree to enter under the conditions just mentioned.

Dr. Luther and Herr Stresemann wired to Berlin. The answer was in the negative. Promptly M. Briand and Sir Austen threw the entire blame for the deadlock on Germany. There was no question of their being desperately discomfited. But they none the less acted in their own best interest.

Sir Austen Chamberlain received the correspondents "with a look of tragedy, and seemingly on the verge of tears." Said he: "If the Locarno Spirit is not dead, it will take years to repair the damage."

Said M. Briand: "We proposed to the Germans today a transaction which was the extreme limit of all possible concessions. They refused. They will have the full responsibility for what will happen.

"Germany has no right to assume a dictatorship over the whole Belgium and Czechoslovakia to cide what the Council is to do."

Saturday. The embarrassing position of the Germans was rendered acute by offers made by Belgium and Chechoslovakia to make the sacrifice Sweden had offered on Friday.

Hastily the German delegates strove to combat the impression of German unreasonableness which had been created. They could not say bluntly, as did the Berlin Lokalanzeiger: "We were promised a place on a stable Council and now they want to give us a seat on a Council inflatable to any extent." But what they did say amounted to that. They refused to budge, and Sir Austen and M. Briand berated them anew.

Sunday. Viscount Ishii, the Japanese delegate, attempted to effect a compromise on the lines proposed by M. Briand (Friday), except that he suggested that after Sweden had resigned her seat it should stand vacant until the League meets in September. M. Briand refused to budge from the position that his country's ally, Poland, must, in some manner, be given a seat now.

The issue was at last clearly drawn: Franco-British prestige v. German prestige.

Monday. A new formula for compromise was finally proposed: That Sweden and Czechoslovakia should both resign their Council seats, which should then be given to Poland and the Netherlands. Thus both a "Latin" and a "Germanic" minor nation would be seated along with Germany, and prestige solved all 'round. While the Delegates were consulting their home governments, the matter rested.

*The four permanently seated nations : Britain, France, Italy, Japan. The six nations (annually elected chosen) last year: Spain, non-permanently seated Brazil, Sweden, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Uruguay.