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His Majesty, now that politicians of all leading parties have informed him in the past few days that they have been unable to form a Cabinet which can secure a majority in Parliament, last week amply showed his own feelings by asking van Zeeland to remain as Premier at least until the King returns from London. By then Belgian public opinion may have a clearer grasp of the issues—already this week prominent Socialists were agitating for van Zeeland to be formally reinstated as Premier—and the King may also call a general election. Although Rexist Degrelle is no doubt annoyed at his fascist failure to use the King, the handsome Rexist's loose mind and looser tongue have produced this extraordinary aphorism: "Is Rex loyal to the King? Certainly! We are even more loyal to His Majesty than he is to us."
Another 1914? Adolf Hitler may be no more dependable than was Wilhelm II in respecting the new German pledge not to invade Belgium and even defend her against aggression, but King Leopold and his generals like to draw attention to such facts as that in 1914 the peacetime armies of Belgium and Germany were respectively 42,000 and 870,000, whereas in case of war next year the figures would be 84,000 and 550,000 at best estimates. Brussels, however, does not consider that Germany will next fight westward toward Belgium and France, but instead eastward if at all, and His Majesty is known to anticipate no such war for at least another two years. The new Belgian foreign policy keynotes "Independence!" and by this the Government and King mean, and have given Belgium's solemn assurance, that Belgian forces will at once engage and fight any forces which attempt to pass over Belgium by air or by land to attack a country beyond. Moreover, Brussels will instantly warn London, Paris or Berlin if an air armada is heard approaching, and today the British public gratefully regard Belgium as their "listening post."
"Not Words But Proofs!" No facile optimist, the King is known at court to feel that continuance of Europe's piling up of armaments at the present rate can only lead at last to a major war. The alternative, as His Majesty sees it, is for statesmen to learn something about economics and apply what they learn toward easing the world's stresses & strains, instead of holding endless conferences in terms of politics & prestige. King Leopold last summer made a public appeal for action along these lines so trenchant that the London Laborite Daily Herald said it "may alter world history." and the London Conservative Morning Post declared: "The very least that countries to which the appeal was directed can do is to give the proposal their urgent and sympathetic consideration." The proposal of His Majesty (TIME, Aug. 2):