Evening star., 1936-03-15
, the Associated Press.

BY the Aseociated fress'
LONDON, March 1.-THE text OF
French Foreign Minister Pierre
Etienre Flandinx address to the
League OF Nations Council on the
Rhinelsnd crisis follows:
The events which led to this spe-
cial meeting of the Council are too
well known for it to be necessary to
20 over them again at length. one
week ago today the diplomatic rep
resentatives in Berlin of powers sig
natories with Germany to the treaty
OF Locarno were received In success
sion by the chancellor Of the Reich
and heard a declaration that Germany
proclaimed the treaty no longer had
effect and that Germany considered
herself from that moment no longer
bound by it.
And that there should be no mis-
understanding of the reality Of this
decision, troops entered the demlh-
tarized zone that very same day: IT.
was not, as was declared at frst,
question of a few symbolic" detach-
ments. but an important force OF more
than 10000 regular troops. to mention
only those officially announced by
the German government.
French Act DutifulIy.
In making the Council aware OF
these events and in denouncing the
violation of article 2 and article 9
of the treaty Of Locarno, the French
government has not so much avalleo
itself of legal right as it has acted
in accordance with duty.
II it had only been a question OF
right, the text of the treaty OF Lo-
carno authorized 1t (the French gov
ernment) to take urgent, brutal, de-
cisive measures.
Anxious not to add on its behalf
any further element OF trouble to
the European situation, it voluntar-
ily abstained from them, thus giving
a full sense of respect for interna-
tional law as the essential basis for
maintaining peace. which 1t observes
itself and which 1t hopes to see OBJ
served by all.
BY the terms Of article 4, 1t was
the duty Of France. as high contract
ing party, to bring the question i'm
mediately before the Council Of the
League.
Aid Promised League.
That Is what she has done, trusting
in the impartiality Of the Council TO
recognize the violation and to recon-
mend such measures which shall be
considered opportune. and trusting also
in the good will Of the guaranteeing
powers to fulfill the duties which will
fall to them from this recognition,
with the resolve finally to place at the
disposal of the League of Nations all
her material and moral forces to aid
it to dominate one Of the gravest
crises in the history Of peace and It's
collective organization.
To justify its initiative. Germany
has brought forward approval by the
Chamber of Deputies Of the Franco
Soviet pact concluded 10 months ago
which was the object In May and june
last of an exchange Of notes between
the government of the Reich, the
French government and the guaran-
teeing governments Of the treaty o.
Loca<no.
In these notes the juridical argu.
ments put forward from the German
side were fully refuted. The German
government had no reply to make.
Arbitration Not Attempted.
II, however, 1t was not convinced
the convention OF arbitration, con
cluded at the same time as the Rhin,
pact, gave it the opportunity to sub
nit the matter to arbitration. 1t ha
not even attempted to do so.
Despite the declaration I made Il
the Chamber Of Deputies before tn
unilateral denunciation by German.
of the treaties Of Locarno and Yer
sailles, that we would submit to ar
bitration by the Court of Justice o
The Hague, the German government
has not sought to take advantage o
this procedure.
Furthermore, it has not sought t.
bring about common discussion Of tn
problem in the meeting Of the power
which are signatories to the Locarn
pact; it has preferred to declare in
valid the treaty which Chancello
Hitler has recognized many times II