"Ye-ah?"

Not "Oh, yeah?" but "ye-ah?" has lately become a favorite expletive among European diplomats, especially the Germans and the French. Occasional English "yeahs" are beginning to be heard but British Foreign Secretary Sir John Simon sticks to "indeed?" Decidedly last week was "Yeah Week" in European diplomatic circles.

London & Paris. Did seamy-featured Senator David Aiken Reed of Pennsylvania negotiate in London with Prime Minister MacDonald and later in Paris with Premier Herriot a quid pro quo arrangement last week, whereby Britain and France will join the U. S. in refusing to recognize Manchukuo, in return for which the U. S. will join them in opposing Germany's demand for arms equality?

Japanese newspapers scare-headed a "Reed Conspiracy," pointing to the nonrecognition of Manchukuo by France and Britain and to an appeal which President Hoover made last week urging Germany to re-enter the Geneva Armaments Conference (TIME, Sept. 26). When Secretary Stimson told United Press that he was "unaware" of Senator Reed's conversations in London and Paris the vocal comment of many a top-hatted, frock-coated European statesman was "ye-ah?"

League Council. When President Eamon de Valera of the Irish Free State became President of the League Council (by alphabetical rotation) last week at Geneva British journalists started a story that he would open it in Gaelic, thus setting off a chorus of "ye-ah?"

Next day President de Valera, who of course spoke English, "handled the spiny and involved debate with a quiet efficiency that marked him as one of the ablest presiding officers the Council has ever had," according to the New York Times's able Clarence K. Streit.

It was Japan's representative, Dr. Haruichi Nagaoka, who drew whispers of "ye-ah?" and derisive laughter several times during his plea that "floods, mud and storms at sea" have so delayed transmission of the Lytton Report on Japan's occupation of Manchuria that release and discussion of the Report by the Council must be long delayed. League presses were at that very moment printing the report for, as China's Dr. W. W. Yen scathingly observed, there happen to be such things as telegraphs, cables and radio.

Spain's forthright Don Salvador de Madariaga created a sensation in the pussyfooting Council by his description of the creation of Manchukuo. "which I will call quite plainly invasion of Manchuria!" Playing safe, the Council then delayed discussion of the Lytton Report to Nov. 14, which Japan's representative seemed to consider only a partial victory.

In Bombay the resident correspondent of the London Times obtained from returning Lord Lytton this statement: "It will be difficult to keep 31,000,000 Chinese [in Manchukuo] under the rule of 280,000 Japanese indefinitely"--to which the Japanese comment in Geneva was "ye-ah?"

Arms Parley. Bland, tenacious German Foreign Minister Baron Constantin von Neurath arrived in Geneva for the League Council meeting last week, but not to attend the continuing committee of the Geneva Armament Conference.

Hoping to lure the Baron into his committee worried "Uncle Arthur" Henderson, chairman of the Conference, hung about in the League lobby, wandered here & there trying to catch the eye of Germany's Foreign Minister who did not see him ("ye-ah?").

Desperate at last, Mr. Henderson stepped directly in front of Baron von Neurath and extended his hand, whereat the German said "How do you do? How is Mrs. Henderson?", then turned on his heel. Later in the day, to prevent an open scandal, statesman after statesman called on Baron von Neurath until he finally consented to pay a short, formal call on Mr. Henderson.

In the meantime the arms conferees had adjourned rather than discuss Germany's claim to equality, the position of Britain and France being that such a "political question" can only be discussed by the entire Conference pour la Limitation et pour la Reduction des Armaments, (not scheduled to meet again until next January).

"I am astonished!" bleated Chairman Henderson. "Simply astonished!" but he went unheeded.

"Ye-ah?" was not the attitude last week of President Hoover who saw to it that his especially trusted Norman H. Davis sailed in Germany's swift Europa to help along the disarmament preliminaries and organize a World Economic and Monetary Conference in 1933.

As their contribution to "Yeah Week" the International Association of Journalists accredited to the League of Nations, adopted and submitted for consideration by the League Council & Assembly, a resolution denouncing "secret diplomacy within the League of Nations and distortion of news by subsidized news agencies and newspapers."

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