French fears that the Nazis have been illegally extending their authority into the Saar have received official confirmation by the publication of the text of a report made to the League of Natians' Secretariat by Mr. G. G. Knox, president of the League's Saar governing commission. In this report Mr. Knox, a former British civil servant, reveals that the Nazis have subtly penetrated the Saar to such an extent that they have set up what amounts to an extra-legal government that in many cases wields more power than the actual governing body. Nasi Storm Troops are secretly maintained and drilled and exercised despite the fact that this has been specifically forbidden by the government; they have even gone so far as to stamp police identification cards with their own visas.

All this activity can, of course, have but one end in view and that is to intimidate voters so that there will be no doubt about the outcome of the plebescite to be held next year. It is, however, likely to have the opposite effect for while they may frighten the populace into voting for union with Germany, this outburst of Nasi activity is sure to call forth violent protests from France which will probably take the form of demands that some methods other than a plebescite be resorted to in order to ascertain the possession of the Saar. There is no doubt that France would be justified in this policy for in the event of a Nazi victory, those who were suspected of French sympathies would certainly have reprisals visited upon them. Once again the Nazis have overplayed their hand; if they had been content to leave well enough alone the election would have almost certainly have gone in their favor. Now they have provided France with a perfectly legitimate excuse for demanding that the election be set aside.

What to substitute for a plebescite will present a knotty problem to the League, involving as it does the larger question of what sort of provision is to be made for the national minorities. Perhaps the best solution is the adoption of some plan like that in use in Lithuania; if this were used the Saar could be awarded to Germany, but only with adequate provision for the protection of the pro-French anti-Nazi minority. Or it might be possible to establish the Saar as an autonomous district under the League, although this would be a very dubious experiment. Whatever is done the year 1935 may be counted on to provide a brilliant display of international fireworks in the Saar Valley.

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Mr. Roosevelt is apparently going to have an early chance to show how sincere he was in his annunciation of a new and more altruistic policy in South and Central American diplomacy. Yesterday in Cuba the government assumed control of the Compania Cubana de Electricitad after the company had failed to come to an agreement with its employees and a strike resulted. The company is an affiliate of the Electric Bond and Share Company and represents an investment of about two hundred million dollars; consequently there is bound to be a terrific howl raised in Wall Street for American intervention, and the bankers will doubtless seize this opportunity for pressing their claims on Mr. Roosevelt. Even more serious is the news that the Cuban government plans to take over in the same summary fashion the United Railways Company which is British owned. Should this occur Mr. Roosevelt will indeed be faced by a problem which will tax all his powers of statesmanship. If he cannot get some sort of guarantee from the Cuban government that the occupation of these properties will not be permanent he will find himself forced to choose between two highly disagreeable courses, for if he intervenes in Cuba he will destroy all the good will which he and Mr. Hull have been so carefully building up, and if he does not intervene he will put himself in the impossible position of refusing to protect the sanctity of English property in this hemisphere and preventing that country from doing it herself. So no matter what he does he is sure to be doubly damned. The only possible way out it to move fast in Cuba and restrain the government down there. This is a task which would be rendered infinitely easier by the recognition of the existing government and the complete abandonment of the Stimson Doctrine as a diplomatic weapon.