Evening star., 1937-05-02
VAN ICELAND MAY BRING
WORLD CONFERENCE KEY
Washington Awaits With Interest June
Visit of Youthful Belgian
Premier.

also IN Rome and in Berlin. And IL
Is FOR this reason that the dictators
are less antagonistic to an economic
parley where, within the secrecy Of
four walls, representatives of govern
ment could discuss the settlement OF
political problems under the cloak Of
economic arrangements.
Premier Van Iceland has been
chosen for the task of making these
arrangements for two reasons: First,
he is young and very efficient; second,
1t was his idea to get Belgium back
TO the position it occupied before 1914
"a completely neutral state with no
political ties with any country in the
world.
Taken Prisoner in War.
Van iceland is IS years old. His
1ather, although the descendant of an
old and noble Walloon family. was
poor; he worked in drug store.
Young Paul was one Of seven children
ana was brought up in strict Catho-
llc atmosphere. Educated by tho
Benedictine friars at st. Vincent COL
lege, he studied law at the Catholic
University. In the early days of the
war he was taken prisoner by the
Germans, and because he ATTEMPTED
several times to escape from the
prison camp he was sent TO the gas
factory at Stuttgart, where he was
treated like an ordinary convict and
was required to work for 10 hours a
DAY. In 1918 he was released and re-
! f1lrne6 81,
a scholarship in economics and went
to Princeton, where he was graduated,
! Upon his return to Belgium he was
made an executive of the National
BANK OIL Belgium and began to pre-
/ pare his country for the great eco
nomlc catastrophe which he foresaw
/ from his study Of American economic
conditions. When the stock market
! collapsed in 1929 he said 1T was
! inevitable; l have been expecting it
lot the last two years" And proved
his contention by showing the lucid
| reports he had made for his govern.
ment warning them about the in
/ eVltaoillty OF crash. Ever since he
has been advocating the devaluation
OF the belga-the Belgium currency
ana ne flnally won his battle when he
broke the French gold bloc.
His young sovereign, Leopold III,
recognized the ability of this Young
man and entrusted him with the for
nation OF his cabinet in March, 1895.
Political Ability Proved.
He proved his ability as a politician
at the recent elections when he de-
feated the RexistS-the new spec.
tacular Fascist party of M. Degrelle.
van Iceland won the election with
an overwhelming majority. 1t is true
that his victory would have been less
easy had not the Catholic Church
come 10 his support On the eve Of
the elections Cardinal Van Roey the
Archoishop Of Malines, issued a state
ment denouncing the Rexist party as
danger to the state and the church.
Every good Catholic" said the arch.
bishop, must vote for the present
government From that moment the
victory of the former pupil of the
benedictine friars was assured.
This is the man who has been en-
trusted by the heads of the principal
european nations to try to find a wav
out OF the present economic and
political impasse
Ihe American Government has
definitely decided not to take the initi.
auVe in gathering another interna.
tional conference. This does not
mean In the least that the admin
lstration is not interested or is not
ready to cooperate with the other
nations IN relieving the international
situation. But the failure Of the pre-
vious efforts for peace by the United
States, from the days Of President
Coolidge, when the second naval con-
ference was summoned at Geneva. IN
10 the Amentable outcome of Presi-
cent Roosevelt's economic conference
IN London and the limitation of arms
conference at Geneva, has disheart-
ened the administration.
Van ICELAND No Longer Tied.
The Belgian premier no longer is
tied to any political constellation in
Europe. He has broken loose from the
French shackles and his coup making
heislum strictly neutral country en-
aoles him to talk frankly and fear
lessly to every statesman in Europe.
HIS record is so clean that neither
Berlin nor Rome looks upon him with
suspicion. nobody regards him as a
tool IN the hands of another govern.
ment.
His conversations with DR.. Schacht
are still shrouded with secrecy wbat-
ever poiitical resentment there might
nave been in Germany because of
Eupen and Malmedy, two districts
given to Belgium by the allies after
the World War, now has disappeared.
Inc Reich is keen to reach an eco
homlc understanding with Belgium
which is an important knot of com.
munication between East and West.
More important than a bilateral
agreement which DR.. Schacht might
nave intended to negotiate with Bel
gums premier is the desire of the
Reich to enter into an economic parley
with the "haves" Little progress can
be made regarding raw materials and
colonies by conversations between Hit
ler's envoy in London. Herr Won Rib
bentrop, and the British government.
They have placed themselves exclu-
sively on a national-political ground
and both remain unyielding
Chance Seen Here, However.
But Hitler sees a chance of making
headway in a conference where inter-
national economic relations are being
discussed coolly and dispaSsionately.
There. he hopes, his representatives,
backed by the delegates of nations
anxious to put an end to the rearma-
ment race, might conceivably back his
claim for redistribution of raw ma
terials.
Should this fail, there could not be
half as much damage as if political
parley had been held with the avoved
purpose Of giving Germany colonies" !"
Some sort Of vague economic agree
ment could be worked out without
I