Traveling Diplomat

Although France is mightier than Germany, Nazis have managed to win and keep allies by sabre rattling, while France finds it necessary to pour out millions of francs to buy and keep her allies in Mitteleuropa. Last week French Foreign Minister Yvon Delbos continued upon his planned swing through Poland, Rumania, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia (TIME, Dec. 13). He was treated much like a visiting butter-&-egg man.

In Poland, M. Delbos was entitled to a good reception, for plans are afoot for a French loan to erect a great Polish armament and heavy industry centre on the Vistula River. Hence Warsaw gave M. Delbos a festive few days. But Poland is notoriously half in Hitler's arms, and long, lean Colonel Josef Beck, Polish Foreign Minister and player of ticktacktoe with General Hermann Wilhelm Goring, was adamant against obliging M. Delbos by so much as a communique lauding the League of Nations. The most that grudging Beck would do was sign with Delbos a communique that "both nations are equally devoted to their alliance."

After a visit to quaint old Cracow, M. Delbos said good-by to Polish hospitality and hurried on to Rumania. In Bucharest, he was feted by hard-boiled King Carol and harder-boiled Premier George Tatarescu, who took time out from their labors in preparing to strong-arm a

Rumanian election late this month. The chief of the French General Staff, General Marie Gustave Gamelin. recently visited Rumania to bring up to date the technical details of France's military alliance with Hohenzollern Carol's Kingdom. M. Delbos was insured a welcome because he came to offer French capital to build a Rumanian factory which will turn out war tanks, and to arrange that Rumanian crude oil and gasoline will be accepted by Paris in payment for fine new artillery, additional tanks to be supplied to Bucharest. Premier Tatarescu was so pleased that he joined M. Delbos in a fervent pledge that "our two countries will remain faithful to the League of Nations and its principles." At the same time, however M. Delbos was warned that Rumania will uphold her end of the bargain only so long as it continues clear that Paris is now loosening rather than tightening its military accord with Moscow (TIME, May 13, 1935 et seq.).

From Bucharest, Tourist Delbos sped to Belgrade to be entertained by Yugoslav Premier Milan Stoyadinovich who had spent the earlier part of the week in Rome being feted by Dictator, King and Pope, and arranging to buy Italian war planes for Yugoslavia. While M. Delbos shook hands with Premier Stoyadinovich who is up to his neck in Fascism, the Roman press jeered "Delbos is wasting his time!" Under their late, assassinated King Alexander I (TIME, Oct. 15, 1934), the Yugoslavian people were taught, however, to think of France as their friend and Italy as their enemy and the new, pro-Italian policy of Premier Stoyadinovich is today anything but popular. This week cheering crowds attempted to form a procession behind the car of M. Delbos as he drove through Belgrade, were dispersed by mounted police who charged with nailing sabres. Immediately other pro-French demonstrations broke out all over Belgrade, the crowds hurling brickbats at the police. Outside the Parliament building a gendarme was overpowered, stabbed in the stomach with his own bayonet. Wild shooting followed, punctuated with cries of "Vive la France! Long live democracy! Down with Fascism! Down with Italy!" While ambulances were taking the wounded to hospitals, Premier Stoyadinovich banqueted the envoy of democratic France, toasted blandly "the Yugoslav-French pact of ten years standing we are happy to renew for five years more. Your Excellency will be able to convince yourself how strong is the friendship for France which is anchored deep in all our hearts!"

Farther to encourage M. Delbos on his trip in behalf of France and the League of Nations, French detectives announced they had uncovered plans to assassinate him this week in Czechoslovakia, and Mussolini who has snubbed the League repeatedly, finally announced that Italy was quitting (see p. 17).

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