EPILOGUE
I HAVE dealt fully in this book with the reasons why, despite
the fact that we live in the age of radio, air mails and other
swift means of communication, so little is known of such
extraordinary events as millions of deaths from starvation in
a neighbouring country. Extraordinary also is the lack of
interest roused even when the facts come to be known. At the
time that I was putting the finishing touches to this book,
I happened to be present at two international gatherings,
the proceedings of which throw light on this state of affairs,
At Geneva, in September 1935, the great banquet of the asso-
ciation of journalists attached to the League of Nations was
being held at the Hotel Les Bergues, as it is every year at
the conclusion of the League Assembly. At the top table were
the vice-president of the Council, Dr. Eduard Benes, M. Paul-
Boncour, M. Titulescu, and many other statesmen of different
nations. The informal speeches of the League "stars" are
without doubt the "high spot" of this annual banquet. This
year too a number of them spoke—last of all M. Edouard
Herriot His toast was warmly applauded—loudest of all by
the Foreign Commissary of the Soviet Union, M. Litvinov.
Was this enthusiasm due solely to the fact that M. Herriot, at
the very beginning of his speech, had addressed M. litvinov
as mm cher ami? No. There was a further reason. M. Herriot's
speech was devoted to the war they were waging in common
for liberty, peace, humanity and the rights of mm.
A few weeks later. Once more hundreds of statesmen were
assembled at a banquet, held this time in Paris^ at the dose
of the Congress of the largest French party, the '^Radicals "
One of the last speakers was the former Prime Minister, M.
Dakdier. His speech too was a glorification of a common fight
for peace, freedom and right. But he did not refer, as Ai.
Herriot had done, to co-operation in the international