Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-10
LAVAL FACES FIGHT
ON GERMAN ACCORD
Own Party Opposes Plan,
Radicals and BRAND
Spurn Offers.
BY PAUL SCOTT MoWRER.

BY Gable to The Star.
PARIS, France, November 10
French Premier Pierre Laval is meet
ing serious political opposition in his
attempts to carry out the plan Of a
Franco-Germ understanding dis
cussed at Washington, it is learned to-
day.
In other words, not merely the ardu-
business of reconciiing the French and
German viewpoints is preventing the
taking of rapid steps in the reparations
questions. but the complexities OF
French internal politics also present an
obstacle.
Time is short. Most statesmen agree
that the first ana most necessary step
toward restoration Of confidence and
the final solution Of the world crisis Is
the achievement OF better Franco-Ger-
man relations. II is also agreed that
some basis of bctter relations must be
reached before February when, on the
one hand, the disarmament Conference
meets and, on the other hand, Ger
many's short-term credit payments
again fall due.
Suspicious of Germany.
Unless meanwhile some measure OF
understanding has been reached by
France and Germany it is difficult to
see how disarmament can greatly prog
reSS or how Germany can meet the
payments to its foreign creditors, in
Guiding American banks.
The situation which M. Laval, to his
diSmay, is said to have found on his
return from his American trip is
hrio Au rho Mott cAc
who form most of M. Laval'S majority
are intensely suspicious of Germany.
They seem sincerely to believe that
Germany's financial policies are a de-
1iberate Swindle, designed to Illustrate
France of its separations. ana they con-
slider the French evacuation Of the
Rhineland, which took place year ago
last June, terrible mistake.
They are therefore opposed to any
further French concessions to Germany
unless Germany is prepared publicly to
revision, which Germany refuses to do,
Radicals Block Move.
Even aboard the steamer on his re-
turn voyage M. Laval began to receive
warnings from his Nationalist friends.
Since his return to Paris these warnings
are said to have been redoubled. M.
Laval accordingly began to study the
possibility of dropping some of the more
for example, the so-called Marin group,
and dropping also perhaps Finance
Minister Pierre Etienne Flandin and
Minister Of War Andre Maginot and Of
extending his ma jority toward the Left,
taking former Minister of Commerce
Louis Loucheur and former Premier
Edouard Herriot into the government.
This alleged plan, however, has been
blocked by the decision of the strategic
Radical Socialist Left group to remain
In the opposition, at least until the
election next Spring.
BRAND WithhoIds Help.
M. Laval, 1t seems, then sought the
! support Of his foreign minister Aristide
BRAND. who is popular with the Left
Here again he vas checked. Between
M. BRAND and II Laval bad feeling has
| been developing Tor months. M BRAND
apparently resents M. Laval's incursions
into foreign policy.
When, therefore, NJ Laval appealed
the other day to BRAND for help, NJ
BRAND seems to have replied that he
himself, II he had been consulted would
have handled the Washington trip
otherwise and that hence he could not
now accept any responsibility for the
SITUATION.
This misunderstanding seems to
have gone so far that Andre Francois
Poncet, French Ambassador at Berlin,
was unable to obtain instructions from
the Quai d'Orsay last Friday prior to
his talk with German Chancellor Helm
rich Bruening and hence has been
obliged to come to Paris, where he will
be received by M. BRAND today.
Public Appeal Looms.
In political circles it is even said that
M. BRAND may try to overthrow M
Laval when the Chamber of Deputies
meets on Thursday with a view to be-
coming premier himself. Some of NJ
Brands friends, however, fear that his
waning physical energy is no longer
equal to such arduous duties.
In these circumstances M. Lavals
best chance appears to be public ap-
peal to the Left for a concentration
government in order to carry out the
policies of his London, Berlin and
Washington negotiations. Such move,
however, would take considerable cour-
age.
(Copyright, 1919
PRESIDENTS IN-LAW