Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Wednesday, 8 January 1930

The Hague:  

At the Second Reparations Conference, the participants manage to subtract the U.S. share of Germany’s war debt payments from the Young Plan calculations to refigure them in light of the separate war debt deal struck by the U.S. and Germany.  France agrees to modify its idea of preserving the right to invade Germany if it fails to make its payments, saying it would only have that right if Germany willfully refused to pay.  This is considered important should the radical nationalists (such as the ones who opposed all war debt payments last year) ever take power in Germany. 

But the whole conference almost derails over a comment allegedly made by French Prime Minister Andre Tardieu.  The Havas news agency reports that Tardieu, becoming frustrated with negotiations, said the German delegation didn’t have the “capacity” to negotiate.  Upon hearing of this, the German delegation, including Foreign Minister Julius Curtius and Finance Minister Paul Moldenhauer, cancel a scheduled private meeting with Tardieu and threaten to take a train back to Berlin.  Tardieu defuses the situation, however, denying he ever made the statement, and saying he is therefore glad to remove the cause of misunderstanding.

Elsewhere: 

New York: 150 communists picketing outside a manufacturing plant attack police officers.  65 are arrested. Meanwhile, more bad economic news: William Green, President of the American Federation of Labor, says unemployment in America has reached 3 million.

Rome:  Belgian Princess Marie-Jose and Italian Crown Prince Umberto II are married.

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