Faux Pas

Two accomplished statesmen met as they strolled about the great Spring Fair at Lyons last week. One was the bland and moon-faced M. Christian G. Rakovsky, Soviet Ambassador to France. The other was the vital, curly-haired Mayor of Lyons, M. Edouard Herriot, President of the Chamber of Deputies, former Premier, and still leader of the most potent political bloc in France, Le Cartel des Gauches (coalition of Left Parties).

M. Herriot, sucking meditatively at his pipe, bowed gravely to Ambassador Rakovsky. For a few moments they leaned against a booth and talked. Gradually Mayor Herriot warmed toward the amiable Russian. He forgot that many of his bourgeois Lyonnaise constituents invested heavily in Russian bonds before the War and now regard all emissaries of the Soviets as agents of the Devil. In a word, M. Herriot invited M. Rakovsky to an official banquet at Lyons that night. They shook hands and M. Herriot strolled on, still sucking-warm whiffs from his Italian briar.

Suddenly the Mayor's eyes bulged. Choking on the smoke, he sneezed. He sneezed because he had just remembered that President Doumergue of France had come down to Lyons to open the fair (TIME, March 15), and would of course be the chief guest at the banquet. Aghast, M. Herriot remembered that diplomatic usage would demand the placing of Ambassador Rakovsky next to President Doumergue. What to do? Helas! Quel faux pas!

After much hurried consultation it became apparent that there was nothing to do. President Doumergue, who refused to Ambassador Rakovsky the usual courtesy of having the anthem of his country* played when he presented his credentials (TIME, Dec. 21), was fairly caught. At the banquet perhaps only M. Rakovsky was entirely at ease. Seated at the President's right, he beamed.

* The "Internationale."