Evening star., 1946-01-13
Head of UNO Assembly Known
AsShrewdDip U.S.FHend
PouI-Henri Spook
Played Valiant Part
Against Nuzis
BY JOSEPH H. BAIRD.


A statesman from one of the
worlds smaller countries, who played
a valiant part in the off-stage fight
against Nazidom-Foreign Minister
Paul-Henri Spaak of Belgium-has
been highighted in position of in
ternational Importance by his elec-
tion to the presidency of the United
Nations Assembly.
Mr.. Spaak, now 46, is an example
OF many statesmen of his genera
ton who spent their early lives as
reVolutlonarieS and after accession
to power became conservatives.
Diplomats here who have known
Mr.. Spaak describe him as stocky
with a well-fed appearance. He ha-
bitually wears dark clothes and a
modified Homberg hat-something
between a Texas Sombrero and the
British Foreign Office headgear.
They depict him as extremely shreWd
in his international dealings and as
very good friend of the United
States. He was here last fall to ne
gotiate a financial agreement.
Pays Tribute to Roosevelt.
After his election to the chairman
ship of the UNO Assembly, he paid
tribute to the late President Roose-
welt:
Among them (the delegates)
there is one delegate to whom wish
to extend particular sympathy and
tribute. I refer to her (Mrs. Roose-
VelD who bears the most illustrious
and respected of all names. I do
not think it would be possible to
begin at this assembly without men
tloning her and the name of the
late President Roosevelt and ex-
pressing our convictions that his
death was a great grief to all of
us and an irreparable loss"
The early history of Mr.. Spaak
was not very different from that of
any other European politician in a
small country. His claim to world
craftsmanship arises from the fact
that he was one of the small group
who, after the German invasion of
Belgium, made their way through
France and Spain after many mis-
haps and dangers and arrived in
London to form provisional gov
eminent which aided the big powers
throughout the war.
Well Known to Diplomats.
The story of how the Belgian
Sercret Service helped the Allies
during the war is classic, and does
not need repetition.
Mr.. Spaak is well known to Amer
lcan statesmen inasmuch as he
came here first as delegate to the
international Labor Conference in
1941 and during this visit talked
with President Roosevelt and for
mer Secretary of State Hull about
the Nazi menace. His latest visit |
to the United States was last fall
when he came to Washington to
negotiate the Belgium-American
financial agreement Belgium-inci-
dentally-was the only country to
whom the United States owed more
IN leaSe-lend than it had received. |
Enigma at Conference.
Just why the United States dele
cation at the United Nations Con-
ference supported Soviet Russia's
nomination of Foreign Minister Lie
OF Norway instead of Mr.. Spaak is
a diplomatic enigma which the State
Department failed to explain yes
terday.
Mr.. Spaak was born at Schaer-
beck, Belgium, January 25, 1899
He was educated as a lawyer and /
was elected to the Belgian House
OF Representatives in 1929.
He entered the Belgian parliament
as a radical, having earlier pub
lished the left-wing newspaper
L'Action Socialiste.
Mr.. Spaak was named to the Bel
gian cabinet as the Minister of In
dustry and Work in 1925. After that
he held successive cabinet Offices and
was named by the King in Feb
NeA }, t0Oo, do GIlC lllllc N11lllSISI. |
War Became Possible.
At that time, it had become ap-
parent to both the Belgians and the
Dutch that a war between Nazi
Germany and Great Britain was a
definite possibility Shortly before
Hitler's invasion of Poland, Mr..
Spaak held memorable conference
with Foreign Minister E. N. Van
K1efins. of Holland on mutual eff
forts to evade a German invasion
of their countries. But their efforts
came to nothing, and the Germans
carried out their invasions of Low
Countries in the spring of 1910.
Having arrived in London, Mr..
Spaak was named Minister of Works
and OF Public Sanitation and at
the same time carried on his duties
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