Difficulty of Declaring War

The U.S. wants to declare war on Hungary, Rumania and Bulgaria. A fortnight ago, a short comminatory note, such as Britain once sent to Finland, was drawn up in three versions. Each note explained that, should the Government of Hungary (or Rumania or Bulgaria) persist in its attitude of contributing to Axis aggression, the U.S. would find itself obliged to consider itself at war with Hungary (or Rumania or Bulgaria). Then an unforeseen difficulty arose: who would deliver the notes? There are no more U.S. representatives in Hungary (or Rumania or Bulgaria); the diplomatic representatives of those countries are at the moment enjoying the hospitality of the Grove Park Inn, at Asheville, N.C., where Italian diplomats are also "assembled."

The Turks, perhaps? Thank you, no. The Turks, after much consideration, feared that, much as they should like to be agreeable, such diplomatic action might perhaps be inconsonant with their neutrality.

The Swiss, then. The Swiss were desolated, but. . . .

On second request, however, the Swiss, an ingenious people who make watches, thought up a "semiofficial" way to deliver the note. An attache of the Swiss Foreign Office at Berne, they suggested, might pay a visit to a secretary of the Legation of Hungary (or Rumania or Bulgaria) and mention that the Swiss Legation in Washington happened to have learned that the U.S. Government was thinking of declaring war on Hungary (and Rumania and Bulgaria). Indeed, he even happened to have got hold of a copy of a note to that effect. Dropping the note on the table, the Swiss diplomat would then hastily leave.

The three notes having been duly sent to Berne, the State Department was waiting this week to hear whether this ingenious little dodge would meet the protocolary approval of the Swiss Foreign Office.

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