Nips at the Collie

Last week Sir Anthony Eden gave another of his vivid impersonations of a man of uncertainty. For weeks the Eden government has ignored press reports of old surplus military vehicles which had been patched up by European dealers, remilitarized and sold to one or another of the Arab states. But then came the revelation that 190 "demilitarized" Valentine tanks had been reconditioned in Belgium and resold to Egypt. Militarily, these antiquated vehicles were not much good to anybody; politically, they were an opportunity, and Labor's energetic new leader Hugh Gaitskell promptly seized it.

To the accompaniment of a suitably ominous roll of editorial drums ("one of the murkiest scandals in the murky history of armaments"), Gaitskell loudly demanded a ban on all surplus-arms shipments, dramatically requested an interview with Eden to discuss the whole Middle East situation. Only then did the government announce belatedly that licenses for such shipments had been held since July, pending efforts to tighten regulations. At 10 Downing Street, Gaitskell pressed his advantage by demanding a White Paper on the whole arms situation. Eden was forced to agree--thus creating the impression that there were discreditable facts still to be unearthed, and if they were unearthed, it would only be because of Labor's initiative.

Gaitskell's nimble maneuver touched off a fresh outburst of Tory irritation at Eden. The Tory press broke into criticism ranging from the shrill demands of the tabloid Daily Sketch ("If he cannot make up his mind to govern, let him make up his mind to go"), to the embarrassed harrumphing of the Times ("The fact has to be faced that a certain lack of touch is beginning to be felt about the present administration"). Conceding the difficulty of succeeding Churchill, the Daily Telegraph grumbled: "Very few of us are bulldogs, and collies cannot growl like the bulldog . . . This is a time for doing what is right, not what seems expedient; for courage, not for timidity."

The Tory criticism was out of proportion to the damage yet done--mostly because most had expected a surer performance of Eden. Instead, he had seemed as awkward as a guest in a strange house fumbling for the light switch. So far, none of the political bric-a-brac he had knocked off tables was of any real importance, and some Tories conceded as much. "The wave of sniping will pass," predicted the Daily Express, which is normally no Eden admirer. Yet so widespread was the sniping that 10 Downing Street felt called upon to deny publicly that Eden is about to resign, and the No. 2 Tory, Richard A. (Rab) Butler, leaving for a Riviera holiday, carefully assured everyone that he was behind Eden. If Eden is to speak with full authority in Washington later this month, he will have to give a more convincing demonstration that he knows his way around his own house before he sails.

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