Dog-Pit

A League of Nations Commissioner, Geoffrey George Knox, was busily flicking his whip last week into one of Europe's wildest dog-pits, that smoking little valley of coal on France's northeastern border, the Saar Basin. Largely German, most of his charges would two years ago have welcomed the plebiscite scheduled for next year to decide whether the Saar will be French or German. But now Saar Socialists, Communists and Catholics, faced with choosing between their ancient enemy France and Nazi Germany, are begging to have the plebiscite postponed. Their newspapers howl direfully against Hitler & friends. In reply Nazi terrorists swoop snarling and rending through the Saar. And to make confusion worse confounded French-subsidized newspapers try to sell the Germans on voting to join France.

Commissioner Knox sent a vivid, formal report on his dog-pit to the League's committee on the Saar Plebiscite. Sitting in Geneva, the three committee members, Italy's Baron Pompeo Aloisi, Spain's Salvador de Madariaga and Argentina's Jose M. Cantilo, could scarcely believe what they read. Last week they sent for Mr. Knox. He laid aside his dog-whip, scudded into Geneva, told the commissioners that Nazi terrorists are already acting as if they own the Saar. To reenforce his 1,100 police, many of whom have been bribed by one faction or another, he demanded a police army of neutral troops. They cannot be French or German or even British or Italian. Commissioner Knox suggested they come from some country that did not sign the Versailles Treaty. The commissioners looked at him with the sad eyes of St. Bernard dogs. Resolute Mr. Knox, whom Saar Nazis accuse of acting like a dictator, hopped back to his dog-pit.

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