Omaha daily bee., 1919-03-15
KEEL, KEYHOLE
OF GERMAN NAVY,
may Be SEIZED
Committee Completes Report
to "COunciI Of Ten" on
Disposition of German
Naval Stronghold.
BY NABoTH HEpIN.
Staff Correspondent of Universal
Service.

Especial Cable utspateh.l
Paris. March i4-What will be
the future status OF the KEEL canal,
which constitutes the "keyhole" to
German naval strength
On Monday the council of ten,
which is the new name for the "big
five'-eaeh Of the FIVE great powers
having two delegates in the ses-
sions-referred the matter to a spe-
eial committee on waterways, which
reported its decision for conhrma-
ton by the higher council. Its rec
concentrations are secret, but lie
Temps. which is usually we'll posted,
says the American commissioners
objected to the appropriation, pure
and simple, of the canal, as too
drastic. The paper admits Heligo-
land should revert to the British,
however.
Can Close Baltic.
Il is regarded as unfeasible to
extend the Danish frontier as far
south as the KEEL canal which was
previously proposed, preparatory 10
the Observation-Disclosures of the canal.
Moreover, the Danes say they do
not want to incorporate the Ger
man populations living along the
banks in Danish territory, but ask
only that the Overwhelmingly Dan
ish populations be reverted TO Dan
ish sovereignty.
On the other hand, if Prussia re-
tains the shores of the canal, she will
be.in position to close every access
to the Baltic. as she did in 1914,
when she coerced the Danes into
mining the Great Belt, which is the
only means of entry for battleships
except the canal between Denmark
and Sweden, which is too shallow,
while the Little Belt is more Of a
river than sea passage.
1t was through the Great Belt that
the Russian fleet emerged in 1904
en- route to Japan. In 1914 the Ger
mans told the Danes: Close the
Great Belt against the British feet,
or we will" The perplexed Danes
asked the English for advice. Mine
the passage yourselves" was the
British answer. 1--WE prefer that you
shall know where the mines are
rather than the Germans" So the
Danes kept the passage mined
throughout the war.
For Russia's future it is equally
important that the Baltic should !
not be closed. But if Prussia retains
both shores OF the Kief canal she
could easily defy the international |
regime in case of trouble. Therefore,
the Temps proposes the location of |
new and independent neutral state |
out. of the ancient duehies of |
Schiesswig, Holstein and Lauen-
burg, which we're formerly independ-
emit, having been "gobbied up" by |
Prussia under Bismarck in 1864. This |
solution would be ike that suggest
ed for the shores Of the Dardanelles.
The Temps suggests that the !
northern frontiers of the new states |
be fixed by Danish plebiscite,
while the southern boundaries would |
extend as far as the old frontiers
Of Holstein and Launburg, iriclud-
ing Lubbock, but leaving Altoona to
Hallburg. The paper continues:
"The independent new states
should be placed , like German Aus
tria, under the guardianship Of the |
league Of nations. The KEEL canal. |
like the Alpine passages, would thus |
be guarded against any enterprise /
BY German militarism'' The Temps |
asserts the populations in question
have the. same desire for independ- |
enee now that they had in. 1864