FRANCE: King of the Sea

Frenchmen, girding themselves to defend their franc and keep it on gold, feel they have need of every weapon. They know that they possess Western Europe's most potent army. Last week their Navy Minister, pompous Georges Leygues, drew deafening Paris cheers with a speech which made British naval experts chuckle.

"The French Navy is second to none!" crowed Minister Leygues. "It can compete at present with the most powerful foreign navy. ... As regards cruisers we shall soon have the Dunkerque, which foreign admiralties agree already must be considered the world's most powerful...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!