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Foreign Problems ^>^>-^>^>^><^421
Geneva. An international convention for the abolition of import and export prohibitions and restrictions was signed in Geneva in November, 1927, and a supplementary agreement in July, 1928. A considerable number of exemptions and exceptions were approved on the general principle that moral or humanitarian grounds or reasons of public security might be used as a reason for restrictions. Since films were not specifically mentioned as an exception, the matter was brought directly before the July conference by the American Minister to Switzerland, who protested against the assignment of such reasons as a pretext for the restriction of American films when the real motive was believed to be a desire to protect home industry by restrictive measures which it was the intent of the convention to abolish.
In this connection the effort to secure a Franco-German producers' alliance may be noted. In 1930, a reciprocal agreement was drawn up providing for the unrestricted exchange of French and German talking pictures, a move which took on a deeper significance with the suggestion that the French film industry was supporting a proposal that the French government inaugurate a new quota law similar to that of the Germans. The subsequent history of the development is not of concern at this time. The effort was not successful and the attempt was withdrawn. There were various reasons for this failure, but from the American point of view significance is to be found in the attempt to weaken the position of American pictures in these two countries. It was a matter of grave concern particularly to those American producers who had established studios in France or Germany, especially to Paramount, who had been operating a unit at Joinville near Paris.
This reciprocal exchange of French and German product has, since July, 1931, taken on new significance through the fact that France, though she kept her contingent against Germany, needed all the French versions of German pictures that she could get (as well as a good market in AlsaceLorraine for German films) and at the same time wanted