(2 of 4)
Back to London hurried Mr. Duff Cooper, and it remained to be seen whether he could kindle the Rt. Hon. Stanley Baldwin into an enduring flame, or whether the Prime Minister would ignite and then gradually sputter out as he did when he was briefly lit on the Ethiopian "Deal" by Sir Samuel Hoare (TIME, Dec. 30, 1935 et ante). Sparks flew in Downing Street last week with two "emergency meetings" of His Majesty's Government within 48 hours, and by the time Mr. & Mrs. Baldwin left to weekend in the country with the King & Queen, the more combustible Fleet Street newsorgans were in decorous conflagration. Blazed the London Sunday Referee: "Mr. Baldwin believes that, if the present situation is allowed to continue, it will lead inevitably to European war.
"Only one thing can save the situation —decisive intervention by a power whose neutrality is above suspicion. That power is Britain.
"The Cabinet realizes that in deciding on a blockade it is giving Hitler and Mussolini an excuse for reprisals. ... If they seek to delay control, the British Navy will be given orders to act swiftly and effectively." Soon the British Empire proceeded to unleash the British Navy again—as it was unleashed last year against Benito Mussolini — this time perhaps to blockade Spain entirely by sea as suggested by the Sunday Referee. Since the House of Commons is about to reconvene this was a good line for His Majesty's Government to take, in preparation for expected criticism from Labor M. P.'s to the effect that Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden's Non-intervention Committee on Spain is just so much humbug (TIME, Dec. 14). Cynically the London bureau of the New York Times cabled last week: "To keep public opinion behind him, if for no other reason, Anthony Eden, Foreign Secretary, will give the appearance of great energy between now and the time Parliament meets." It remained to be seen whether His Majesty's Government were merely giving an "appearance of great energy" or really meant business. Admiralty orders to British warships were couched in terms which might mean anything. The effect of these orders is to bring about 200,000 tons of British war boats into waters near Gibraltar, ostensibly "on their way" past Gibraltar steaming to distant ports. The flagship Queen Elizabeth (33,000 tons) carried Admiral Sir Alfred Dudley Pound from Malta to Gibraltar last week and is scheduled to steam back this week to Malta. The famed Hood (46,200 tons) and Repulse (37,400 tons) were already at Gibraltar and scheduled for Malta. Other British ships were bound from England, Malta and various bases through the Gibraltar Straits and officially the Admiralty called all this "western Mediterranean periodical reliefs." Last year the same tactics were used to intimidate Mussolini, even down to the always-thrilling Admiralty order again issued last week, that all British tars are to bring their officers up to date on the names and addresses of nearest relatives.
In London circles close to the Prime Minister this week it was said that Squire Baldwin was asking the Radical French Cabinet for further proof of their accusations about Germans in Morocco before his own Conservative British Cabinet finally made up their minds;