The Ruhr

General Degoutte, French Commander-in-Chief of the Franco-Belgian forces in the Ruhr, was instructed by Premier Herriot of France to permit the return to the occupied areas of the Germans expelled therefrom since the beginning of the occupation in January, 1923.

The only exceptions made under the aforesaid order concerned those persons expelled for serious non-political crimes. The number of Germans now permitted to return to their homes was put at 210,000 and is additional to 60,000 Germans who were permitted to return to contiguous Rhineland territory under a separate order.

The amnesty thus accorded to expelled Germans is consonant with Premier Herriot's declared policy (TIME, June 16). This difference between his and Premier Poincare's policy is substantially as follows:

Premier Poincare had been against any modification whatsoever of the French occupation of the Ruhr until after the provisions of the Experts' Report should have been definitely accepted by the Germans and put into full operation. He had also declared that evacuation of the Ruhr even then could take place only progressively as payments were made by Germany; but there were definite signs that, had he remained in office, he would have consented to complete evacuation after the Experts' Report had become a working plan.

Premier Herriot's policy is, in its essential points, the same as that of Premier Poincare: he will not consent to evacuate the Ruhr until after the operation of the Experts' Report has been effected; meanwhile he is showing toward the Germans a conciliatory attitude, lacking in Poincare's policy, by freeing political prisoners and permitting expelled Germans to return to their homes and, most important, by giving Germany her last chance to eradicate her past abominations.