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In post-mortem cables on why the Communist bluff failed to move Socialist Blum last week, leading Paris correspondents agreed that the execution in Moscow of Marshal Tukhachevsky and seven generals of the Red Army (TIME, June 21) has profoundly jolted French political opinion, even to some extent among French Communists. It has always been a question in Paris whether the Red Army was good enough to make the present Franco-Soviet military alliance a worthwhile check to Germany—the eternal enemy. If the news from Moscow means that the Red Army has been immensely weakened by execution of its ablest leaders—and such in French General Staff headquarters was the opinion last week—then Paris must think somewhat of conciliating Berlin, and it would have been suicidal to yield to Communist demands that Premier Blum bestir himself to help the Spanish Popular Front. Last week for the first time since the World War a high German Staff Officer, General Ludwig Beck, was welcomed in Paris, conferred with General Marie Gustave Gamelin of the French General Staff, reputedly shared with him the German Secret Service's dossier on what is actually happening in Russia. Cabled veteran Paris Correspondent John Elliott of the Herald Tribune: "Political circles here are convinced that . . . the visit to Paris of General Ludwig Beck . . . and the dramatic about face of the 72 Communist members of the Chamber . . . have a direct bearing on each other. . . . There can be no doubt that the General's visit was inspired by the British Foreign Office, anxious to break up the Rome-Berlin axis and establish co-operation between Britain, France and Germany."
This week Premier Blum took his "full powers" demand back to the Senate and both legislative chambers again excitedly prepared to keep open all night. With two successive Chamber votes of confidence behind him, the Premier had every opportunity to make the kind of fighting speech so much admired in France and force the Senate's hand. Even his Senate enemies admitted that if he made the vote one of confidence this time he could probably force a victory—since the Senate would not want to upset a Cabinet so strongly backed in the Chamber. Instead of showing spirit or spunk, the Premier made a plaintive, hesitating speech, failed to make the issue one of confidence, and was rebuffed by the Senate 168-to-96. In the Chamber aroused Popular Front Deputies waited for their Blum to rush back to them and make a great public issue of "full powers." Instead, he closeted himself at 1 a. m. with assorted politicians, finally announced at 3 a. m— that his Cabinet had resigned, begged France to remain "perfectly quiet."