THE UNIVERSE OF INFORMATION.pdf - ideals

No doubt tnere were many reasons, as mentioned in connection
with the events of 1922. But there was now one more. «ln
foreign politics*, the year 1923 in Belgium, «was marked by the
aggressive policy of the Franco-Belgian Allies towards Germany,
of which the invasion of the Ruhr was the principal manifestation*.
47 The Paris section of the Union of Associations
for the League of Nations had included on its agenda for 1923
a resolution requesting that the Belgian and French Governments
refrain from invading the Ruhr. This had appeared in
its Bulletin. In May, 1923 Otlet had been invited to the Ministry
of Sciences and Arts, to explain this public opposition
to the Government's policy, for the Union of Associations for
the League of Nations had its headquarters in the Palais Mondial.
The Department of Foreign Affairs had drawn the attention
of the Department of Sciences and Arts to this fact, and
in consequence, Otlet alleged, had refused to carry out the
resolutions of the Conference of the Development of the Institutes
of the Palais Mondial. Otlet pointed out that the Union
of International Associations was completely different from
the Union of Associations for a League of Nations. This distinction
was ignored and he was informed, he said, that «it
is not permissible that such publications should emanate from
an organisation which has enjoyed the hospitality of the
Government in State buildings*. As late as November Otlet was
still having questions asked in Parliament about this and the
Minister for Foreign Affairs denied that he and his colleague,
the Minister for Sciences and Arts, had said that they
«would not tolerate» such a publication as the Bulletin in
•question.
The culmination occurred on the morning of the 12th
February 1924. A body of professional movers joined some
gardeners outside the Palais Mondial. At nine o'clock, the
Principal Architect of Public Buildings entered the building
and went straight to Otlet's office. He asked Otlet toco-operate
in moving the UIA's furniture and collections. Otlet refused.
The official retired to seek advice from his department and was
ordered to continue. Otlet again refused to co-operate and insisted
that he leave the building immediately. Upon his departure,
Otlet and his staff at once locked all the doors behind
him, barricading themselves inside their «gloomy offices», as
an unsympathetic observer wrote, «protected by innumerable
green files and their ramparts of cards». About a quarter of
an hour later, a force of thirty men broke into the building and
proceeded to block off the access of the offices Otlet was allowed
to retain to the rest of the building in which the UIA's
collections were housed. Then, under Otlet's eyes, they began
to disassemble the collections. He was forced to watch the removal,
as he said to a reporter who came along later in the
269