Evening star., 1936-01-05
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one Of which the practical value can
easily be exaggerated.
AS the outcome of such a concep-
ton Of the political world. however,
NJ. Laval has devoted personal friends
in every camp. from the Action
Francaise." at the extreme right. to
the Communists on the opposite side.
He has practically silenced the press
and more praise is bestowed upon him
than upon any other public figure.
After ALL there is something to be
said for a system of that description.
provided it is directed by man in
possession of the essentials Of leader
ship. 1t is at this point that M. Laval
falls short of the requisite standard.
Once, as early as September. 1891, I
listened to his rebuke of a former
Socialist friend who had criticized his
lack Of devotion to the League Of
Nations:
WELL" he said, 'I have spent
enough time among you all to be dis
gusted with your theology for the rest
Of my life"
That is good point But very little
can be added to it on the credit side.
Naive on Diplomatic Factors.
Instances of his lack of knowledge
of factors in European diplomacy are
striking. I can vouch that when he
Travelled to Rome last January he did
not known for certain the name OF
the reigning Pope. (He may be COM
pared, in that respect, with the Am
bassador's wife who inquired about
the abode of the "other popes." She
naively imagined that the holy father
was elected for seven years and there
fore that several Of his predecessors
we're alive and kept in comfort some
where. at the expense Of the church,
Yes, M. Laval was in doubt about
Plus XII 1t is not easy to perceive
how he finds his way through the
maze Of diplomatic affairs.
Whenever a SPECIAL. limited subject
Is being discussed-such was the case,
in 1881, when he went to Washing
ton-he can find his way and his
native shrewdness serves him well.
But if the affairs of Europe are to
be dealt with as a whole, If q general
view has to be taken of the ebb and
flow of continental developments, he
is really at sea. It cannot be said
that he loses his bearings, because
he never had the true ones to rely
upon. He behaves like landscape
painter who attempts, at night, to
reproduce in colors the great scenery
around him with the help Of little
pocket lamp projecting some faint
light up to three or four yards. A
strenuous job, indeed, and one which
Is bound to prove Disappointing
Here Is one of his golden rules: ITO
arrive at an understanding with
friends is Of small concern to me. I
am mainly interested in reaching an
agreement with enemies" A futile.
meaningless sentence, because the
point upon which French diplomacy
Is called upon to pronounce itself. at
present, Is whether 1t would pay to
sacrifice its friends for the purpose
Of ingratiating its enemies. Would
France not lose more on the one side
than 1t would gain on the other?
Would not Germany-to be specific
regard as a means to its own ends
whatever Paris conceded to her as a
final settlement of her claims?
Nevertheless, If any independent
critic or commentator should endeavor
to call M. Laval's attention to the
emptiness of the above saying, he
certainly would have to face an out
burst Of anger. He, Laval, has de.
vised q good, catching phrase, won
derful slogan; nobody has any busi-
ness to interfere and destroy it. In
the course of a heated controversy
Tell the truth in America and in
England, If you like; but. in Paris,
you must net impair the authority
of the minister OF foreign sfiairs!"
M. Lavals dislike extends beyond
the independent press lthe freedom Of
which he attempted to restrict, as far
as foreign policy is concerned, through
two ~ecent law decrees) to the officials
under him at the Quai d'Orsay. He
accuses them Of trying to force upon
him a policy Of their own. simply be-
cause they are at pains to explain to
him that he cannot lay all his bets
upon the off f-chance of a conciliation
with Germany and safely give up the
defensive system with Great Britain,
the little entente and Soviet Russia.
Thus, refusing to trust his regular
advisers, he is compelled to enlist the
services Of outsiders in order to con-
duct his personal plan-which directly
clashes with his official policy. But
his ignorance Of affairs and men
weighs upon him as heavy handicap.
Often Lacks Preparation.
Upon two different occasions, when
in conference with British ministers,
he was bold enough to launch upon an
ambitious exposition of his European
program. But after a short while he
lost the thread Of his discourse. In one