{"id":454,"date":"2013-01-23T15:10:25","date_gmt":"2013-01-23T04:10:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454"},"modified":"2013-01-24T21:49:22","modified_gmt":"2013-01-24T10:49:22","slug":"23-january-1912-the-international-opium-convention-is-signed-at-the-hague","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454","title":{"rendered":"23 January 1912 \u2013\u00a0The International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is the antechamber to The Hague\u2019s Ridderzaal<\/em> in 1912. Around sixty people stand around in small groups, packed close, making uncomfortable small-talk. There is a distinctly international flavour to the gathering. Most people are dressed in three-piece suits of a conservative cut and cloth, but a number of people in traditional dress \u2013\u00a0perhaps a dozen or so Persians, Indians and Siamese \u2013 stand out in the crowd. A large registration table, draped with a heavy white cloth, is located near the entrance. A clerk, a thin man with a daunting moustache, stands behind the table.<\/p>\n

\u2013 And you are? The clerk taps the guest-list with his pen, as a stocky, balding man in a heavy winter coat approaches and leans uncomfortably close over the registration table.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Yevgeny Lyubeznik.<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0Right. Mister Lyubeznik. Lyubeznik. The clerk searches through the registration papers in a bored, bureaucratic way.\u00a0You\u2019re with the Russian delegation?<\/p>\n

\u2013 No delegation. Is only me.<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0Right. Ummm. Well, I can\u2019t seem to find \u2013<\/p>\n

\u2013 I called earlier to book stall. I will just set up over there, and he indicates a spot near the wall. Good for passing trade, I am right?<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0Passing trade? I don\u2019t quite follow, Mister um Lyubeznik.<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0What I have, is all good quality product. Russian Blue, Afghan Dream, Mystery of the Orient. Top shelf. I set up stall, display wares. I am sure there will be much interest. Maybe even small free sample for you, my good man.<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0No, but. You don\u2019t need a stall. You\u2019re just here to ratify the convention.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Oh yes. Totally, I ratify convention. Is why I am here. But nobody can\u2019t get ratified until \u2013\u00a0and he performs a series of mimes: filling a pipe and inhaling deeply from it followed by inspecting a small bottle, shaking its contents, drawing its contents into a syringe and then injecting it into his arm. He finishes with a mime of pressing his finger into his cupped palm and then rubbing his fingertip across his gums, smiling broadly \u2013\u00a0and slightly manically \u2013\u00a0as he does so. The clerk looks on, increasingly horrified.<\/p>\n

\u2013 No, that really won\u2019t be necessary Mister Lyubeznik. The delegates are here to bring into force the Opium Convention, an international legal instrument that \u2013<\/p>\n

\u2013 Right. Is convention. Trade show. I just set up stall, no problem. Give you time to sort out all this \u2013\u00a0and he waves his hand vaguely over the guest-list.<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0No, Mister Lyubeznik. I really must insist. This is not a trade show. It is a serious meeting of high-level dignitaries from around the globe. There is no place for the display or vending of any product. In fact, once the Convention is brought into force, your trade will be heavily regulated and circumscribed. I must insist that you leave.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Hey, come on. I just \u2013<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0Or I will call security, Mister Lyubeznik.<\/p>\n

The visibly crestfallen Russian moves away from the table. He is seen to approach several groups of delegates, unbuttoning his coat and gesturing towards something concealed inside the lining before he is escorted off the premises by heavy-set Dutch security guards.<\/p>\n

File under: <\/i>drug trade-show | great moments in international relations<\/p>\n

(Image source: fineartamerica<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is the antechamber to The Hague\u2019s Ridderzaal in 1912. Around sixty people stand around in small groups, packed close, making uncomfortable small-talk. There is a distinctly international flavour to the gathering. Most people are dressed in three-piece suits of a conservative cut and cloth, but a number of people in traditional dress \u2013\u00a0perhaps a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n23 January 1912 \u2013\u00a0The International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague - Conspiracy of Words<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"23 January 1912 \u2013\u00a0The International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague - Conspiracy of Words\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It is the antechamber to The Hague\u2019s Ridderzaal in 1912. Around sixty people stand around in small groups, packed close, making uncomfortable small-talk. There is a distinctly international flavour to the gathering. Most people are dressed in three-piece suits of a conservative cut and cloth, but a number of people in traditional dress \u2013\u00a0perhaps a […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Conspiracy of Words\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-01-23T04:10:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-01-24T10:49:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/opium-poppy-flowers.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"583\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"conspiratorial ben\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"conspiratorial ben\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"conspiratorial ben\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ab4c6c57babc84728e5b052fefa4fafe\"},\"headline\":\"23 January 1912 \u2013\u00a0The International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-01-23T04:10:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-01-24T10:49:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454\"},\"wordCount\":539,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/opium-poppy-flowers.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Today\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454\",\"name\":\"23 January 1912 \u2013\u00a0The International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague - Conspiracy of Words\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/opium-poppy-flowers.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-01-23T04:10:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-01-24T10:49:22+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/opium-poppy-flowers.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/opium-poppy-flowers.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":583,\"caption\":\"Opium poppy flowers\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"23 January 1912 \u2013\u00a0The International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/\",\"name\":\"Conspiracy of Words\",\"description\":\"Stories and other writing by Ben Thurley\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Conspiracy of Words\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/conspiracy_logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/conspiracy_logo.png\",\"width\":\"225\",\"height\":\"171\",\"caption\":\"Conspiracy of Words\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ab4c6c57babc84728e5b052fefa4fafe\",\"name\":\"conspiratorial ben\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/01727f24251bd66f2451ed921d768084?s=96&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/01727f24251bd66f2451ed921d768084?s=96&r=g\",\"caption\":\"conspiratorial ben\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"23 January 1912 \u2013\u00a0The International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague - Conspiracy of Words","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"23 January 1912 \u2013\u00a0The International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague - Conspiracy of Words","og_description":"It is the antechamber to The Hague\u2019s Ridderzaal in 1912. Around sixty people stand around in small groups, packed close, making uncomfortable small-talk. There is a distinctly international flavour to the gathering. Most people are dressed in three-piece suits of a conservative cut and cloth, but a number of people in traditional dress \u2013\u00a0perhaps a […]","og_url":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454","og_site_name":"Conspiracy of Words","article_published_time":"2013-01-23T04:10:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-01-24T10:49:22+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":583,"url":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/opium-poppy-flowers.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"conspiratorial ben","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"conspiratorial ben","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454"},"author":{"name":"conspiratorial ben","@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ab4c6c57babc84728e5b052fefa4fafe"},"headline":"23 January 1912 \u2013\u00a0The International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague","datePublished":"2013-01-23T04:10:25+00:00","dateModified":"2013-01-24T10:49:22+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454"},"wordCount":539,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/opium-poppy-flowers.jpg","articleSection":["Today"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454","url":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454","name":"23 January 1912 \u2013\u00a0The International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague - Conspiracy of Words","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/opium-poppy-flowers.jpg","datePublished":"2013-01-23T04:10:25+00:00","dateModified":"2013-01-24T10:49:22+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/opium-poppy-flowers.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/opium-poppy-flowers.jpg","width":900,"height":583,"caption":"Opium poppy flowers"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?p=454#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"23 January 1912 \u2013\u00a0The International Opium Convention is signed at The Hague"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/","name":"Conspiracy of Words","description":"Stories and other writing by Ben Thurley","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#organization","name":"Conspiracy of Words","url":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/conspiracy_logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/conspiracy_logo.png","width":"225","height":"171","caption":"Conspiracy of Words"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ab4c6c57babc84728e5b052fefa4fafe","name":"conspiratorial ben","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/01727f24251bd66f2451ed921d768084?s=96&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/01727f24251bd66f2451ed921d768084?s=96&r=g","caption":"conspiratorial ben"},"url":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=454"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":459,"href":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454\/revisions\/459"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conspiracyofwords.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}