"Agin," "Agin," "Agin"

Over a tawny glass of Spanish sherry a suave Semite faced London reporters in his flat last week. They knew that he had just made a bust of the largest British magazine enterprise of recent years, was regarded by some as a not inconsiderable ass. Twirling his glass of sherry, Gilbert ("Swankau") Frankau alibied:

"As the founder of Britannia [sip], I said what I thought, without fear or favor. Evidently I am against lots of people [sip], for I believe in everything British! That was what Britannia stood for while I held her helm."

Actually the Frankau weekly Britannia stood not for but against everything British or foreign which did not come within the extreme Fascist fringe of the little Semite's whims. He was "agin" the Government of Conservative Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, "agin" the David Lloyd George Liberals, "agin" the Ramsay MacDonald Laborites, but chiefly "agin" everything remotely hailing from the U. S.--where Novelist Gilbert ("Swankau") Frankau reaped thousands of dollars from book sales and lectures about himself to U. S. women's clubs.

The bust came, last week, when Britannia's owners, the Inveresk Pulp & Paper Co., found that the 33 pages of advertising per issue with which the magazine was launched had shrunk to four. Tactful requests that Editor Frankau modify his Lunatic-Fascist policies caused him to apply for an injunction restraining Inveresk Ltd. from interfering with his conduct of their paper. Since the editor had a contract, the only thing to do was buy him off. He held out last week for -L-12,000--nearly $60,000--and finally got it. Wherefor the smug airs, the sherry.

The assininity which Gilbert Frankau brought to Britannia was pointed out (TIME, November 5) when he made his initial statement as the founder.

Rumored early last week was the startling suggestion that the Earl of Birkenhead, recently resigned as Secretary of State for India, would take over the editorship of Britannia, to which he has regularly contributed. Denial of this persistent report by Inveresk Ltd. was coupled with the announcement that "publication of Britannia will be continued under the direction of the present editor, Crawfurd Price."

If bewildered by this announcement, many a Briton could lay hands on an old copy of Britannia, and jerk it open to the index he would read:

Governing Director: Gilbert Frankau.

Editor: Crawfurd Price.

As a matter of fact Gilbert ("Swankau") Frankau edited Britannia with the assistance of Mr. Price; but apparently his swanky little soul rejoiced in the title of GOVERNING DIRECTOR.

Britannia's new out-and-out-editor, Walter Crawfurd-Price was a famed British War-correspondent, and later Foreign Editor of the Sunday Times.