THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS: Auspicious Week

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"Today should be marked with a white stone on history's path. The words of conciliation which France and Germany have exchanged in equal sincerity should always be marked with this white stone Never will France seek to change its color."

Significance. Throughout Germany the golden oratory of M. Briand was accepted only at a heavy discount. "If M. Briand's words are consummated by the acts of M. Poincare," said the Lokal Anzeiger of Berlin sarcastically, "we will applaud most heartily."

Even at that moment arch militarist, Premier Poincare, was pruning the French army with a drastic knife (see p. 12), but suspicion and ill-will lingered deep-rooted in French and German hearts.

The stride taken between Locarno and Geneva is after all only the first step on the road to lasting peace.

Spain Out. Dictator Premier Primo de Rivera waited only until Germany was within the League to file notice that Spain will withdraw from the League after the two year interval provided in the

League Covenant. The Spanish notice of withdrawal received at Geneva last week, was conciliatory in tone but made clear that Spain would not remain with the League unless granted a permanent Council Seat on an equality with Germany. Up to last week it had been hoped that Spain would accept one of the new semi-permanent seats. The two year interval which must elapse before Spain's actual withdrawal from the League still gives hope that she may eventually accept this compromise.

Not yet. The Assembly voted last week not to attempt to hold a League Disarmament Conference this year, since the preparatory disarmament committees (TIME, May 24 et seq.) are still contentiously striving to arrange the preliminary details of classifying armaments and collecting data. The committees will continue their work and report again at the next session of the League.