Le Petit Matin
- The Political Balance Sheet
- For Disarmament
- France and Germany
Le Petit Matin linked hopes for peace with diplomatic work in Geneva and Berlin. Marcel Huart praised de Jouvenel and Paul Boncour as expressing France’s goodwill and devotion to justice and fraternity. A Geneva dispatch described delegates extending their stays for an important disarmament preparatory meeting and Spain’s wish to keep cooperating. Another dispatch announced forthcoming Franco-German talks based on the Thoiry understandings, with Loucheur expected in Berlin on October 6 for three days.
This edition covers three selected passages from the September 28, 1926 front page, not complete articles or the whole issue. Small type, blur, clipped columns and fragmented OCR limit transcription. The first passage retains the initial [?] and the unfinished “So—”; its missing continuation has not been reconstructed.
Translation
The Political Balance Sheet
By Marcel HUART
[?] As for the disarmament conference, Mr. de Jouvenel’s intervention and Mr. P. Boncour’s admirable speech clearly demonstrated France’s determination to place all its goodwill, the full integrity of its policy, and all its passion for ideals, justice and fraternity at the service of peace. Let us also hope that the So—
For Disarmament
For Disarmament
GENEVA, September 27.—The Preparatory Commission for the Conference for the Reduction of Armaments held an important meeting this morning. Several delegates who were to have left Geneva on Saturday stayed to take part, notably Mr. Paul Boncour, Mr. Beneš and Count Bernstorff. The meeting opened with a speech by the Spanish delegate, Mr. Cobian, who maintained that his country wished to continue its cooperation with the Commission.
France and Germany
France and Germany
BERLIN, September 27.—Franco-German talks based on the verbal understandings reached at Thoiry will begin in a few days. Mr. Loucheur, who is to lead the negotiations on the French side, will arrive in Berlin on October 6 and spend three days in the capital.
Context
Huart’s praise and the question of diplomatic sincerity
Huart treats de Jouvenel’s intervention and Paul Boncour’s speech as evidence of France’s moral commitment to peace. His emphasis on goodwill and fraternity expresses confidence in French intentions. An earlier private assessment offers a contrasting perspective: in a February 11, 1926 letter, U.S. Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg suspected that some European governments had no intention of reaching a disarmament agreement, while acknowledging that he might be overly suspicious. These contrasting assessments show how diplomatic sincerity itself could become a subject of debate around disarmament preparations.
What the Geneva commission was preparing
The League Council’s invitation defined the commission’s task as preparing a disarmament conference, with technical advice available from military and civilian bodies. Continued participation therefore mattered to the preparatory work on which the planned conference depended. The September dispatch makes that participation concrete through the delegates who stayed in Geneva and Cobian’s statement that Spain wished to continue cooperating. Read alongside Huart’s column, it presents French involvement through both professions of peaceful purpose and Paul Boncour’s decision to remain for the meeting.
Thoiry as a starting point for bargaining
German cabinet minutes of September 24 record Stresemann’s account of the Thoiry discussion: Briand sought financial help for France, while German objectives included the Saar’s return and evacuation of the remaining occupation zones. According to that account, both foreign ministers expressly left their governments unbound. This gives substance to the newspaper’s description of forthcoming talks based on verbal understandings: the meeting supplied proposals for further bargaining. Loucheur’s announced visit was presented as the next negotiating step, with no completed settlement reported.
Original
Le Bilan Politique
[?] Pour ce qui est de la conférence du désarmement, l'intervention de M. de Jouvenel et l'admirable discours de M. P. Boncour, ont marqué nettement la volonté de la France de mettre au service de la paix toute sa bonne volonté, toute la loyauté de sa politique et toute sa passion d'idéal, de justice et de fraternité. Souhaitons encore que la So -
Pour le désarmement
Pour le désarmement GENÈVE, 27 septembre. - La Commission préparatoire de la Conférence pour la réduction des armements tint ce matin une séance importante. Divers délégués qui devaient quitter Genève samedi sont restés pour y prendre part et notamment MM. Paul Boncour, Bénès, le comte Bernstorff. La séance fut ouverte par un discours du délégué espagnol, M. Cobian, qui soutint que son pays désirait continuer sa collaboration à la Commission.
France et Allemagne
France et Allemagne BERLIN, 27 septembre. - Les pourparlers franco-allemands sur la base des accords verbaux de Thoiry commenceront dans quelques jours. M. Loucheur, qui doit diriger les négociations du côté français, arrivera à Berlin le 6 octobre et séjournera trois jours dans la capitale.