Pact Making: Pact Making

LOCARNO (Dec. 1, 1.925) set Europe off on a decade tinged with "pactomania." The Locarno Pact and sweet "Spirit of Locarno" (which assumed that Germany had kissed France and made up) produced a diplomatic expanding universe of larger and feebler Pollyanna conferences until in 1933 every nation was represented in London at the World Economic Conference. Among statesmen Benito Mussolini was almost alone in openly predicting Pollyanna Diplomacy's inevitable doom. Said he: "It is absurd to expect even the smallest achievement from 66 nations all talking at once."

While President Roosevelt was hastening the wreck by withdrawing from under the World Conference his proffers of aid to international monetary stabilization, Europe received a new lead from the Four-Power Pact, conceived in progressive pessimism at Rome to get results by concrete agreements between small groups of states. Today a tempered revival of Locarno optimism, fused with post-Depression pragmatism, has evolved the momentous Eastern Locarno Pact now in the draft stages. Its signing and ratification by the Great Powers this year may put a constructive period to the confused Pact Decade: 1925-35.

Above, the Locarno signatories. Both dead today, French & German Pollyannas M. Aristide Briand (A) and Dr. Gustaf Stresemann (B) received the Nobel Peace Prize, as did Britain's Austen Chamberlain (C) whom George V rewarded with the Garter. Pessimist Mussolini, who received nothing, was among the original Pact initialers at Locarno, Switzerland but did not come to London for the decorative affixing of signatures at the British Foreign Office. Afterward there was high tea at No. 11 Downing Street. The host: Winston Churchill (D), then Chancellor of the Exchequer. Extreme left and right, inimitable Lucy & Stanley Baldwin, he then Prime Minister, today Lord President of the Council.

Exulted the Berliner Tageblatt after Locarno, eight years before Adolf Hitler came to power:

"Germany, which two years ago was isolated, spurned beneath the victor's heels and seemed the poorest ragamuffin in Europe, today, while still lacking an army, becomes a factor of might once more." THE LOCARNO PACT was prettied up in "The Spirit of Locarno" by being tied with what was called "blue ribbon, the color of the Blue Bird of Happiness, the color of peace." Supplemental Locarno accords were made even prettier with a Maypole effect achieved by intertwining ribbons in the colors of the signatory states. Inevitably this lush, pre-Depression spirit gave way to the spirit of today's hard-boiled pacts.