THE LEAGUE: The Deal

Straight diplomacy, practiced in the capitals of the Great Powers, flanked the League of Nations last week. A deal was in course of being consummated by Italian and French diplomats with the British Foreign Office.

The deal in general: a public victory for the League of Nations in making Peace in the near future, with apportionment among the Great Powers of war spoils, Italy getting most since she made the war.

The deal in particular: 1) Italy to hold her conquest of Ethiopia within moderate limits and in no case to attack the region of Lake Tana where the British Empire has vital interests; 2) Italy to endure without armed retort economic & financial sanctions which the League of Nations must impose or utterly lose face; 3) France and Britain to block the League from voting military or naval sanctions and participate in an “open door” exploitation of Ethiopia in their “spheres of influence”; 4) mutual understanding that there will be cheating all round on the “economic sanctions,” with European States who have wares to sell to the belligerents disposing of them through private smugglers, these to take their chances of being caught and punished.

The dealing: secret personal communications between Dictator Benito Mussolini and British Foreign Secretary Sir Samuel Hoare were acknowledged to have taken place. II Duce shrewdly wrote in Italian and had Ambassador Dino Grandi read off an ex tempore verbal translation to Sir Samuel, after which Grandi departed with the secret sheets of Mussolini’s message and may well have burned them. Whether or not Sir Samuel’s end of the deal was handled with equal discretion in Rome by British Ambassador Sir Eric Drummond, who for 14 years was Secretary General of the League of Nations, the cynicism of Sir Eric in converse with fellow diplomats at Rome last week was piquant to those who had known him only at Geneva. No man could say that “the deal” would be consummated, for all human endeavor is fallible, and with the heaviest naval concentration since Jutland jamming the Mediterranean this week, the fate of Europe was clearly at the mercy of an incident.

At Geneva last week the Clark Gable of the League, romantic in his open-throated tennis shirt and Eton blazer at tea time, remained Captain Anthony Eden. This handsome young British Minister for League of Nations Affairs has been expertly cast by His Majesty’s Government to play a role of popular idealism, Empire unselfishness and British solicitude for the Negro underdog. Last week “Mr. Eden,” as the League’s spruce Captain insists on being called, kept the Committee of Thirteen, the Committee of Six and all the other League organs created to deal with Italy & Ethiopia busy heading up to a vote by the League Council which finally made official what only Italy denied-namely that Italy had invaded Ethiopia in violation of the Covenant-this to be followed by a vote of the League Assembly this week and consideration of what sanctions should be imposed.

Only statesman to speak out with anything like candor on the actual League situation was Benito Mussolini, who received No. French Newspundit Jules Sauerwein and in striking phrases unburdened his mind. “Solutions can be found with Geneva, without Geneva or against Geneva,” said the Dictator. “The League of Nations, like the loveliest girl in the world, cannot give more than it has. … I am in conversation with England. . . . Conflict between our two nations is inconceivable.” “Until now the English have considered the Italians as a gay, picturesque and agreeable people,” continued II Duce. “It has never come into the English mind until recently that Italy could have a will of her own and a complete independence in regard to England. . . “Since Britain assured Italy officially that her fleet concentration in the Mediterranean is not anti-Italian (TIME, Oct. 7), the Dictator urged that tension be eased by withdrawing some British ships, indicated that he was ready in return to withdraw some Italian troops from Libya where they have been said to menace the British position in Egypt. “The League of Nations-and even more the good sense of governments-might furnish us with many solutions.” Premier Mussolini told M. Sauerwein at parting, “It would be strange if the League, which was created to avoid wars, should now like a loudspeaker amplify one. . . .”

*Governor of Italian Somaliland, and generally considered Italy’s ablest colonial fighter, General Graziani thence leads the Fascist legions (see pp. 19 & 20).