"Important Turning Point"

It is European plan for a President to remain aloof, letting the Premier do the work, and to make only the stuffiest State visits abroad, but when "Europe's Smartest Little Statesman" Dr. Eduard Benes was elected President of Czechoslovakia (TIME, Dec. 30, 1935) everyone knew his way of doing things would be more on the American plan. Last week Dr. & Mrs. Benes arrived at Belgrade to face not the usual assemblage of many Serbian loafers rounded up by police and given a few coppers to cheer, but a mighty ovation such as President Roosevelt got in South America.

This was vexing to President Benes' far from cordial host, Premier Dr. Milan Stoyadinovich of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Obviously 13-year-old King Peter does not yet count.

Scarcely a heavy, weight is the chief Regent of Yugoslavia, earnest and cultured Prince Paul, handsome brother-in-law of Britain's beauteous Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent.

Today so far as the pragmatic politicians who make up Premier Stoyadinovich's Cabinet can see, France has wavered much too far to the Left, carrying her ally Czechoslovakia almost into Soviet arms, Germany can be expected at any time to seize the Teutonic provinces of Czechoslovakia, the League of Nations has been reduced to inconsequence, and its doughty champion, little Dr. Benes, is a splendid sap who still believes in Democracy.

What Premier Stoyadinovich believes in he lately showed by signing with Italian Foreign Minister Count Ciano, son-in-law of Il Duce, a mutual pact of Italo-Yugoslav solidarity. This can be followed by rapid extension of what Premier Mussolini and General Goring call "the Rome-Berlin Axis," making it a ramrod of Power shooting eastward through the Balkans, with Bulgaria already lined up and Rumania not too coy to the seductions of Dr. Schacht and his German trade treaties.

Last week this definitely anti-Soviet and anti-Left ramrod now in the making was giving European Communists and Socialists sleepless nights and in Yugoslavia they turned loose every effort to help swell the crowds that huzzahed in Belgrade for President & Mrs. Benes & Democracy.

Democrat Benes has the brilliance often to speak the truth, even to the public and journalists. He founded the Little Entente soon after the War; in 1933 he was able to forge this political constellation of Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Rumania into the most tightly interlocked alliance in Europe. Last week he skipped out in front of Dame Rumor with an intimation via Paris' famed Pertinax (Andre Geraud) that today the Little Entente is almost on the rocks. This is not only true but appalling to Europeans who have faith in Democracy and to others with a passion to see Communism come. Driving through Belgrade last week, Smartest Little Statesman Benes knew that, as Pertinax said, his visit "bids fair to mark an important turning point in the history of Central Europe." By his mere presence he generated in the Skupshtina (Yugoslav Chamber of Deputies) frantic criticism of Premier Stoyadinovich as a potential wrecker of the Little Entente.

Thus all that President Benes stands for in Europe played its cards--or sent out last week its S. O. S. He visited the tomb of Yugoslavia's slain King Alexander, the father of Boy King Peter, and that served to remind millions how firm under His Late Majesty was the friendship of Yugoslavia and France--such friendship, plus faith in the League of Nations having ever been the cornerstone of the Little Entente. It reminded scarcely anyone that the French statesmen with whom Alexander was friendly were moderate Democrats, men who would have liked to exterminate the Socialist who is Premier of France today. Another card well played last week was for Democrat Benes to tell his hosts that of course Czechoslovakia is overjoyed that Yugoslavia and Italy have buried their enmity, adding merely that Czechoslovakia will have to withdraw like Belgium into a desperate neutrality if Yugoslavia and Rumania become too close friends of Germany and Italy.

If all this shook Premier Stoyadinovich's pro-Italianism and pro-Germanism there was no sign in Belgrade that such was the case. Journalists close to the Yugoslavic Royal Government heard he had told President Benes that Yugoslavia cannot consider herself bound to send troops to Czechoslovakia's aid in case of a German attack. If true, this piece of information practically wrecked the Little Entente then & there, but moreover the Stoyadino-vich newsorgan Samouprava keynoted: "Let us all remember that Haile Selassie paid the penalty for entrusting his destiny to the Democratic States by the loss of his Crown!"

Yugoslavia is almost the last European state to have no diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. Yugoslav royalty and statesmen are most inclined to believe reports that Democratic President Benes is reluctantly in very deep with Communist Dictator Stalin and Socialist Premier Blum, and that Soviet war planes already using Czechoslovak landing fields by night as they speed secretly to Spain, might much more easily from these fields attack Germany. Despite such unmentionables as these at the White Castle in Belgrade last week, friendly gestures were for President Benes to decorate Dowager Queen Marie of Yugoslavia, her son King Peter, and Regent Prince Paul's wife Princess Olga, after which Mrs. Benes was decorated in return. Another day there was a palace banquet and before President Benes left for home the "Smartest Little Statesman" was so much on his toes as to flatter Boy King Peter with the gift of a gold-fitted dressing case featuring a razor.

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