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Foreign News: Hague Wrangle

3 minute read
TIME

Thumbing one’s teeth is, of course, much more polite than thumbing one’s nose. At the second Hague Reparations Conference, last week, Chancellor Philip Snowden of the British Exchequer thumbed only his teeth at his adversaries from across the Rhine, even-tempered German Foreign Minister Julius Curtius and meek Finance Minister Paul Moldenhaur.

The Chancellor thumbed not once but several times. When either of the Germans made a demand to which the Allies were not prepared to yield, the right Snowden thumbnail was placed tight under the Snowden upper front teeth and snapped twice in accompaniment to the words: “Not a bit of it! [snap] not a bit of it! [snap]” Provocative though this gesture was, Dr. Curtius and Dr. Moldenhaur did not seem to think they were being insulted, since the bony fingers of the Yorkshireman were not spread but closed and doubled as he thumbed.

Morgan, Dillon & Kreuger. Not less but if possible more pugnacious than Chancellor Snowden was Prime Minister of France Andre Tardieu (see front cover and p. 23). He hammered at the Germans day after day, trying to browbeat them from the three main positions taken by Dr. Curtius: 1) That Germany is entitled under the Young Plan to declare a moratorium at any time, should she deem herself unable to go on paying reparations; 2) That she shall not be liable to “sanctions” (military punishment) by the Allies for suspending payments in good faith because she cannot pay; 3) That the Fatherland is always free to attempt to float German bond issues in the world market.

Once when Dr. Curtius asked leave to bring in one of the German experts, M. Tardieu snapped: “Bring in whomever you like! But—I repeat it—France will not yield!” (Many Paris editors chorused praise of the “dignity and firmness” of this typical Tardieuism.)

The Frenchman’s most venemous dig came when he said: “You tried to borrow $100,000,000 in November from J. P. Morgan & Co. France was able to stop that (TIME, Dec. 30). I have information that as soon as this conference is over you will turn for your $100,000,000 to Ivar Kreuger [famed tycoon-director of the Swedish Match Trust, lender of millions to many a hard-up government].” M. Tardieu finished with a flat declaration that France would not give Germany the benefits of the Young Plan unless the German Government promises not to issue bonds liable to hurt the sale of Reparations Bonds.

Shoulder to shoulder with M. Tardieu stood Mr. Snowden. and thumb-snapped at the Germans:

“Take the Young Plan or leave it! I do not propose to spend the rest of my life at The Hague! [snap]”

Flustered Drs. Curtius and Moldenhaur —comparative novices at international negotiations—wired hastily for Germany’s “Iron Man,” stiff-necked Dr. Hjalmar Schacht, President of the Reichsbank.

Dr. Schacht’s arrival was immediately marked by a loud announcement that as Reichsbank head he would not support the establishment of a bank of International Settlements as planned. His chief reason : The Original Young Plan had been tampered with to the detriment of Germany. Then startlingly, after a series of meetings, the leading conferees, including the Germans, not only ignored Dr. Schacht’s eruption as unofficial, but reached an agreement that any moratorium must be concluded before another is granted, that Germany would make payments on the fifteenth of each month as asked by the Allies.

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