PLEBISCITE IN THE SAAR

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21319, 12 November 1934, Page 11

PLEBISCITE IN THE SAAR

♦ ! POSSIBLE FRENCH i INTERVENTION GERMANY PROTESTS ' f: ' i yOECIBLE REPLY BY M. LAVAL .__.., PRESS ASSOCIATION—BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH—COPYRIGHT.) (Received November 11, 9.41 p.m.) LONDON, November 10. ijlie 'Paris correspondent of the *Daily Mail" says there was a drastic meeting between M. Pierre •aval (French Foreign Minister) jndHerr Roland Koster (German Embassador) when the latter presented Germany's protest against the possible use of French troops jn the Saar. 51, Laval forcibly replied that the French Government could not understand such a protest and could not agree with the German interpretation of the facts. He declared that any French intervention in the ggar would not be French intervention as such, but an international ondertaking ordered by the Saar Governing Commission in accordance with the League Council's regulations, against which Germany did not protest. To protests that the Saar was German territory, that French action would interfere with the freedom of the plebiscite, and that it would be contrary to the Locarno Pact, M. Laval replied that only the plebiscite could restore to Germany sovereignty over the Saar. He said that by article 49 of the Versailles Treaty, Germany specifically renounced the territory in favour of the league as trustee. The league, as governors of the jfoar, was therefore clearly entitled to call in troops to restore order if necessary, and +hese troops, acting on such a max H -.te, would have international character.

CHARGE AGAINST GERMANY PERSECUTION ALLEGED SENSATIONAL REPORT BY MR KNOX GENEVA, November 9. Mr G. G. Knox, chairman of the Saar Governing Commission in a letter to the League, says: "I want to draw the Council's serious attention to the first information obtained from a partial scrutiny of the document seized during the recent search of the headquarters of the Voluntary Labour Service, an organisation under the German Front."

The League publishes the report of the Saar Commission on the activities of the German Front, and declares that the seized documents show the Front to be identical with the Nazi party. It has subjected Saar residents to threats, the most common cf which is, "Wait until after 1935." The Front is divided into such small cells that it is impossible to miss any house or person. German wireless and newspapers are used for the purpose of persecuting residents, while a boycott and denunciation to the German authorities are among the other means of pressure.

The report charges the subsidiary body, the Voluntary Labour Service, which was allegedly created to hold the wilder spirits in check, with being really a super-spy organisation, 10,000 strong, and ready to take street action at any moment.

The seized documents included a report by Mr Knox's former butler, giving alleged conversations at the dinner-table. The German Government is definitely charged with supporting the persecution activities of the Nazi front.

CONSIDERATION BY LEAGUE i MR EDEN TO BE PRESENT i V REPORT TO BE DISCUSSED (BElllt-H OYTICU- WISE-ESS.) f RUGBY, November 9. Mr R. A. Eden (Lord Privy Seal) *iH represent the British Government at a meeting of the Bureau of fte Disarmament Conference at Geneva on November 20, and at a special meeting of the Assembly to insider the situation in the Gran ynaco. He will also attend a meeting of the Council of the League, Jo be held on November 21, when l , h e question of the Saar will be l f-"sr consideration. It has not yet £en decided whether' Sir John £"« on (Secretary of State for foreign Affairs) will visit Geneva lor these meetings. , [he council meeting will have Def ore it a report published this evening in Geneva containing an ar ?alysis by the Governing Comntission of the Saar of the acti- ;) t] es of the German Front organisation in the Saar. The report, "men is a long one, offers evidence which, it states, sufficiently continued interference -? tiie German Government ; in the **>»» of the Saar. lne German Ambassador (Dr. von Hoesch) called at the *°reign Office to-day and saw Sir Jonn Simon. It is understood that SUestions connected with the hold--21 of the Saar plebiscite on Janu"v 13 were discussed.