Many a Belgian family living near the German frontier crammed its movable possessions hastily into suitcases, took the first train and fled when Adolf Hitler ruptured the Treaty of Versailles by sending German soldiers goose-stepping into the Rhineland (TIME, March 16). Last week a few of the boldest of such Belgians had gone back to their homes. They felt excited as they looked across the frontier and saw German soldiers standing guard for the first time since the Rhineland was demilitarized 17 years ago. What small Belgium wanted to know was whether Great Britain could be counted on in case of German onslaught.
In London a procedure for dealing firmly with Germany's violation had just made its appearance in the form of a British White Paper (TIME, March 30). Returning from London to Brussels Premier Paul van Zeeland rose in the Belgian Chamber. "For the first time in history the British Government has defined in advance the course it would take in a given emergency," he cried. ''This unprecedented step was due to the fact that Belgium has so clearly given [Germany] no excuse for breaking the Locarno Treaty."
Nod or Shake? In London last week His Majesty's Government suddenly seemed to lose interest in the White Paper which it had taken the lead in negotiating. This lightning change occurred after Adolf Hitler sent to London by his special Ambassador Joachim von Ribbentrop last week a six-page reply to the White Paper, the gist of which was that Germany rejected its terms in toto and that the Great Powers must mark time until the Realmleader should send them his proposals for what is to be done about Germany's rupture of treaties. Ambassador von Ribbentrop explained that Der Fuhrer was so busy winning a German election (see p. 25) that his proposals would not be ready for at least another week.
By the terms of the White Paper Germany was not to erect fortifications in the Rhineland. Last week news that Adolf Hitler had ordered the most intensive German efforts to build fortifications in the Rhineland as fast as possible made the interest of His Majesty's Government in the British White Paper diminish even further. To find out exactly where the British stood a French delegate to the League Council in London, famed trial Lawyer Joseph Paul-Boncour, visited Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, then flew to Paris. Said he: "The only answer I received was a movement of the head—neither positive nor negative."
Brazenly the Turkish Government announced that if Germany was not punished for remilitarizing the Rhineland in violation of treaties, Turkey would proceed to similar violations and remilitarize the Dardanelles with heaviest fortifications.