The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-09-27
AMERICANS
SAVED THE
BELG|ANS
FROM STARVATION. BARON BEY-
EMS EXPRESSES GRATITUDE
FOR HELP GIVEN BY PEOPLE
OF THE UNITED STATES.

Havre, France, Sept. 26.-"Belgium
will come back to her own, to her
place in the sun, and to complete
freedom and independence, said
Baron Beynes, Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Belgium, in the course of
an authorized interview given to The
Associated Press.
Baron Beynes is one of the notable
figures of the present war, for up to
the beginning of the war he was the
Belgian Minister at Berlin and went
through the crisis eliminating in the
first blow at Belgium and the imme-
diate entry of England, France, and
all Europe into the seething struggle.
Then, leaving Berlin, he entered the
Belgian cabinet and has since direct
ed the foreign affairs of the country,
finding time also to write a book
which graphically describes "the
week of tragedy" at the German
capital when the British and French
ambassadors and himself made their
last attempts to prevent the Euro
pean conflict.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
where Baron Beyens was seen, is
installed at Ste. Adresse, a suburb of
Havre, in the Villa Hollandais, rus
tic chalet occupied in ordinary times
by seashore visitors, but now bearing
on the outer gate a small placard
reading: Ministere des Affaires Es-
trangeres de elgique" A foreign Of
flee usually suggests marble halls and
big diplomatic rooms with ambassa-
doris sitting among oil paintings and
mahogany furnishings. But the Villa
Hollandais has nothing of this kind.
Three small pine structures have
been put in the garden for various
diplomatic and consular branches.
Inside the villa there is the simplicity
of a summer cottage, but everything
is scrupulously well done and effec-
tive.
Baron Beyens expressed at the out
set the deep sense of appreciation
felt by Belgium toward the people of
the United States, and, in particular,
toward those who directed the work
of sending food-supplies to Belgium.
81 am always glad to meet an
American" said he, "and to express
my gratitude to your people in gen
eral and to those who have literally
saved our people from starvation.
1t is difficult for me to say how
head of the committee directing the
relief work of Belgium. He has
proved himself man of great re-
source and great ability in the gi-
gantic task of providing for a whole
nation which round itself suddenly
threatened with starvation or at least
with cruel privation. It was task, !
morever, requiring much diplomatic !
tact as well as business knowledge, |
for the relief committee was obliged |
TO deal between the German officials /
on the one hand and the Allied Of /
ficials on the other But all this
has been accomplished with infinite
skill; obstacles which seemed at
times insurmountable have been
overcome. and practical results have
been realized which are of the high
est importance TO Belgium and the
Belgian people.
The American Minister at Brus-
sells, Mr.. Brand Whitlock, has also
won our unbounded admiration and
respect in performing a work of CO.
lossal magnitude under most trying
Remaining at Brussels
while the government was constrain-
ed by circumstances to establish IT,
self temporarily outside of Belgium,
the American minister has been.
with his courageous Spanish collea- :
que, the bulwark between our citi-