Heroldo , under the title “ To be or not to be ,” a long paper occupied the “ front page ”:
The Universal League of Freemasons ( ULF )
Masonry in every country , which stood by and watched silently as Italian and German Masonry perished , is starting to realize that the hand from which they did not tear its pray is reaching out to strangle it . [ ... ] they have not yet found the path of common collaboration .
The author of this article was of the opinion that the Masonries in different countries could not defend themselves alone :
We must seek and find the pathway to this collaboration despite all the obstacles .
The League soon wrote to the Alliance maçonnique international to ask it to invite all the affiliated obediences to engage in closer collaboration and it was delighted to learn that the annual meeting of the AMI that was held in Luxemburg on September 6 – 9 , 1934 :
expressed the wish that all regular masonic powers , be they affiliated to the AMI or not , unite to fight the common enemy and that they organize as soon as possible an international meeting to plan the defense of our Order , without distinction of rites or tendencies .
We joyously salute this decision and this recommendation to masonic obediences , and we hope
59 that this unity in defense will occur soon . We recommend that all our brothers support this initiative and contribute to overcoming the obstacles and hesitations . Our convictions and the preservation of our order are at stake ; the question is : To be or not to be .
“ Unity in defense ”: The words have meaning . Yet even this goal would not be obtained . However , the ULF continued to exist , to publish its newsletter , and to meet . In September 1935 , it organized a congress in Brussels . Naturally , Henri La Fontaine was at the helm . In May of that year , he wrote to Sam Frey , the Chancellor of the League :
Despite our best wishes , it will be impossible to surround our session with festivities and ceremonies like those we enjoyed in Holland in particular . The crisis has affected us terribly and the latest measures taken by our government have made the situation worse . We will , however , welcome our brothers with deep sympathy and fraternal cordiality . The times are too serious for masons to think of amusement . We have to coordinate and most importantly persuade each other that we have a great and unanimous duty to accomplish .
They seemed to believe in it still , but had the situation already escaped the freemasons ?
The announcement of the congress in the June issue of La Heroldo indicated :