Evening star., 1940-01-17
Cudahy Installed
Swiftly as u. 5.
Envoy 10 Belgium
Sees Foreign Minister
And King in Two Hours
After Arrival
BY the Associated Press.

| BY the Associated Press.
| BRUSSELS, Jan. II. - The new
United States ambassador to Bel
GUM, John Cudahy, assumed his
post with unprecedented speed to-
day amidst tension accompanying
recent preparations by Belgium and
the Netherlands for defense against
invasion. ..~
Mr.. Cudahy, former minister ~
Ireland. ordered over the week end
to hurry here as fears spread of an
invasion from Germany, arrived at
10 am. today, was received by Foreign
Minister Paul Henri Spaak and by
noon had presented his credentials
to King Leopold at the palace.
The mobilization steps which Bel
gium took over the week end, call
ing technicians to the colors a
stage next to complete mobilization
are to be maintained for some
time" Gen. Henri Denis, defense
minister, said in an interview today.
Our information and general i'm
pressions made it necessary" he
said. "We must always be alert"
Cold Affects Defense.
The cold has affected defense
plans somewhat, he said, because in
vading troops could cross on the
ice, although boats have been busy
keeping defensive waterways free.
All necessary trench digging was
completed before the freeze, which
improved the trenches, Gen. Denis
said.
Asked about the Finnish war, Gen.
Denis said it was comforting for
Belgium and similar countries to see
it demonstrated that small coun-
try and a small army, if adequately
equipped and commanded, could
face much stronger enemy.
1T proves to US he said, that
we made no mistake in our arma-
ments and no one is better equipped
than Belgium against tanks, thanks
to our At anti-tank guns"
Gen. Denis said that the defense
against air attacks had been bet
tered and added that I'VE are
spending lot of money on it." He
referred to a new appropriation Of
100 00,000 francs (about s4,33O, O,00O)
in the supplementary budget.
Own Sources Credited.
Both Belgium and the Neither
lands followed up a week END of
military preparedness moves with
official declarations that their views
on the international situation were
formed only on information from
sources controlled by themselves.
The German version of the scare
in the low countries over the posi-
bility of Nazi invasion to sidestep
the French Maginot line was that
the anxiety was made in Paris" to
provoke Germany into an aggressive
move against those two neutral
neighbors.
Belgium has found the situation
sufficient to warrant calling tech-
nicians in a next-to-final mobiliza-
ton step, while the Netherlands had
cancelled military and naval leaves.
The Joint steps gave the two ma
tons nearly 100000 men under
arms.
Trade Accord Reported.
A Belgian economic delegate, who
just returned from Germany, is re-
ported to have arranged for con-
tlnued imports of German coal and
smoother passage of Belgian exports
to Germany.
The delegate. director of CONNER
cial treaties at the foreign Office,
went to Berlin late last month. pri-
marily concerned, it was said, with
the coal question
1t was understood at that time
Belgium could not continue indefl-
nitely to fulfill her part of a pre-
war iron and coal exchange agree
ment with France, if German coal
shipments were cut off and she
were forced to rely on Belgian
mined coal.