Paul-Henri Spaak’s speech to the Foreign Press Union

On 7 March 1936, Germany remilitarized the Rhineland, bringing to an end the system of collective security established by the Treaties of Locarno in 1925. As a signatory to the treaties, Belgium was immersed in the renegotiation of the treaties demanded by Germany and initiated by the United Kingdom and its government saw an opportunity to move towards a policy of neutrality. What was called the “free hands policy” consisted of getting security guarantees for Belgium without having to assume responsibility for defending anyone else. The hope was to protect the country from the effects of any future European war by having both its British and French allies and Nazi Germany recognize the new policy, as they did in April and October 1937 respectively. 

The policy was presented publicly by foreign minister Paul-Henri Spaak in a speech to the Foreign Press Union on July 20, 1937, just days after the military revolt in Spain. Spaak put both his Belgian Workers’ Party (POB) and the government, both of which had expressed respect for the policy of collective security, in a difficult position. Within the party, much of the rank and file as well as a number of its leading figures, were opposed. They denounced the government for betraying its own statements and were adamant that abandoning collective security as defined by Locarno would allow fascism to advance, thus leaving the road to war open. 

When the failure of the military revolt led to the outbreak of war, the POB threw itself into a campaign to assist the Republic both politically and materially. Many Socialists saw the Spanish conflict as a way of defending the policy of collective security and a demonstration of it that was essential for guaranteeing peace in Europe. This approach was completely contradictory to the “free hands policy” advocated by Spaak. He, along with his partners in the coalition government and senior officials in his ministry, saw the Spain not only as a serious threat to the peace of Europe but also an obstacle to negotiating a new security agreement to replace Locarno and, in this way, to the consolidation of his foreign policy.  

On August 28, 1936, Belgium signed the Non-Intervention Agreement. From that point on, the government did everything it could to ensure that the Spanish conflict did not compromise its foreign policy. In practical terms, this meant Spaak had to keep his own party under control and adopt a low profile by always following the decisions taken by the great powers in the Non-Intervention Committee.