GERMANY: Orgy oj Liberty

Orgy of Liberty

In the Rhineland so recently freed of the last French troops (TIME, July 14), life continued exciting last week for “Separatists” (advocates of an independent Rhineland Republic) and suspect French-sympathizers. Their noses were punched, their houses wrecked, their clothes torn, their shops gutted with delirious crowds of Pan-German youths storming up and down the ”liberated provinces.”

Technically, riots in the Rhineland are now the business of Germany alone, but last week official France was annoyed. Shaggy-headed Foreign Minister Aristide Briand paid an official visit of protest to the German Embassy in Paris. In Berlin French Ambassador Pierre de Margerie paid another to German Foreign Minister Julius Curtius. At a meeting of French War veterans at Lencloitre, near Poitiers, French Minister of Justice Raoul Peret cried:

“At the appointed hour we fulfilled our promise and our troops evacuated the Rhineland! One would have expected our former enemy to show some appreciation of our good faith, but instead we have witnessed manifestations against France.”

The entire French press was pettish over the fact that Germany has said no official “Thank You” to France for evacuating the Rhineland.

“Berlin must accept its responsibility in this affair,” growled the French semi-official Temps. “Formal pledges were given to the Allies that there would be no reprisals against those in the evacuated territories who have French sympathies or who had entered into friendly relations with the French during the occupation.”

Briefly, pointedly, German Foreign Minister Curtius replied to French protests that:

1) The actual number of anti-French, antiSeparatist riots was “small.”

2) Rhine police had been unable to deal with rioters at once because by the terms of the Versailles Treaty the Rhineland was not allowed a sufficient number of police for her needs.

3) Additional police from other parts of Germany were already being rushed last week into the Rhineland.