"A Report"

Infinitely patient U. S. Ambassador-at-Large Norman Hezekiah Davis, President Roosevelt's representative at the Brussels Conference (TIME, Nov. 22 et ante), stood deserted last week by the chief delegates of Britain, France and Russia. They had returned to their capitals, leaving second-stringers at Brussels, and leaving Ambassador Davis to keep his temper while the windup of the conference gave the Italian Delegate Luigi Aldrovandi-Marescotti, Count of Viano, opportunity to say that Rome "has deemed this conference entirely superfluous from the very beginning and has had no reason since to change its mind!"

Chinese Ambassador Dr. V. K. Wellington Koo, who had urged the Great Powers to take "concerted action of moral, material, financial and economic character," was obliged to join in casting China's vote last week for A Report--the conference's sole achievement. Even A Report was the result of heated wrangling, with Ambassador Davis among those who fought vainly to get it entitled A Report to the Governments Here Represented. "There is no sense in making a report at all!" declared Italy's Count, and cast the only dissenting vote against A Report.

Not addressed to anyone, A Report covers twelve typewritten pages with a historical summary in which Japan and China are pictured as entangled in difficulties such that "solution can be achieved only by the co-operation of all countries interested in the Far East."

To A Report the Scandinavian delegates prepared to add a printed transcript of all speeches, notes and replies at the Brussels Conference. The Great Powers were reluctant to go to this expense, but the conference adjournment was postponed to permit a wrangle over the Scandinavians' point in Brussels this week.

The British Government, not wishing Ambassador Davis to sail home to Washington sore, invited him pressingly to visit London.

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