Word: leopold
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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...will be against me," said Leopold. "I wish to have Ministers. I am no dictator...
...This Same King. . . ." It was not until 72 hours later that Belgium's Army laid down its arms-a fact that was slurred over by bitter Britons and Frenchmen last week-and Leopold's warning gave the Allies time to prepare for the blow. French Premier Paul Reynaud flew to London to consult Prime Minister Winston Churchill, then, back in Paris, told France over the radio that Belgium had given up. His tone was almost a snarl when he spoke of Leopold...
...press of Paris and London let go with a broadside of invective. "King Quisling," sneered the London Evening Standard. "King of the Fifth Column," echoed the Daily Mirror. In Paris the best that Leopold was called was "traitor" and "felon king." Paris-soir reported that General Walter von Reichenau's peace terms, which Leopold accepted, included the turning over to the Germans of all war materiel intact, free passage of the German Army to the sea. The French Legion of Honor struck Leopold's name from its rolls...
...first moderate voice raised last week was that of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Keyes, the old hero of Zeebrugge and British special attache to King Leopold, who was with him up to the hour of surrender. Said he: "I trust that judgment will be suspended on a very gallant soldier until all the facts are known." Prime Minister Churchill agreed...
...King of a nation containing two racial groups, Leopold considered himself as much a Fleming as a Walloon. The nationalist Flemish writer, Herman Teirlinck, taught him the Flemish language, later became one of his closest friends and the tutor of his children. But the most significant influence on his policies was wielded by General Van Overstraeten, the brilliant, energetic, overbearing military tutor who became his chief military adviser. General Van Overstraeten did his best to dislodge pro-Ally War Minister General Henri Denis, succeeded only in getting rid of Chief-of-Staff General E. Van den Bergen. Younger Belgian Army...