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The British lion, awkward of late, last fortnight clumped his way into a minor diplomatic mess. Until recently the British Government forbade the playing of the Russian anthem, the Internationale.

But when Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden got back from Russia last month he brought with him a sound-track of his Moscow reception, pointed out that a Russian band had played God Save The King. Instructions were thereupon issued to lift the ban on the Internationale.

Last fortnight 66,000 Britons went to Wembley Stadium in suburban London to see England play Scotland at Rugger. The crowd gave a great cheer at the entrance of the Russian military mission to Britain. Also present was King Peter of Yugoslavia, now an Oxford student.

The Guards' Band blared out God Save The King and Yugoslavia's Bozhe Pravde, ti shto spase (God of justice, Thou who saves us). Then, when the crowd expected the Internationale, it was staggered to hear the band continue with old community-singing favorites.

Fact was that the vaunted British Civil Service had bungled again. The instructions lifting the ban on the Russian anthem had been sent to the wrong department, so that when the Guards' Band had inquired whether to honor the Russian mission with the Russian anthem, the right department had said no.

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