Monday, June 30, 1930: French Troops Evacuate the Rhineland

Mainz, Germany:  “Amid tremendous outbursts of enthusiasm of the populace, the last hobnailed boot of foreign troops vanished Monday from German soil.”  So leads the Universal Press article describing the scene in Mainz, throughout the Rhineland, and over much of Germany, as the last French forces occupying German soil after the World War depart.  At 11:15 a.m., the French flag is hauled down from the old Mainz castle, and the last several hundred French soldiers march to the train station to depart.  Some Germans cheer.  But at the train station, a crowd hisses and boos the departing troops.

The German government issues a statement tonight which reads in part: “There are still heavy clouds overhanging the political and economic life of our people.  The present day, however, gives reason for hope in the future.”  President Paul von Hindenburg refers to the occupation as “arbitrary foreign rule” in his comments.

Church bells are rung for an hour all over Germany, and public offices are closed.  At nightfall, bonfires are lit on the banks of the Rhine, and people celebrate into the night.

Paris:  The French press, on the other hand, worries that in the midst of their celebrations (and boos), Germans have not appreciated the fact that France is withdrawing its troops earlier than originally agreed.  Some even predict that Germany’s fascists – the nazis of Adolf Hitler – will grow in influence without a French presence.  

Matamoros, Mexico:  Twenty people are killed and eight more wounded when a mob of communists battles police in this central Mexican city.  The communists had sought permission for a march of protest against the Mexican government’s arrest of communists in other parts of the country.  When they were refused, they marched anyway.  Press reports say the communists opened fire on police.

Bilboa, Spain:  Communists are also implicated in two bomb blasts that destroy houses under construction here.  No one is injured.  Police, who seize two alleged perpetrators after a gun battle, say the bombs were an attempt to incite a general strike.