New-York tribune., 1920-12-25
Andre Lefevre Declares
Former Foe Is Mobiliz-
ing Force of 2,5OO,OOO
Men Under Divers Names
Arm at Once and
Fight, He Proposes
Asserts Krupps Are Turn
ing Out Machine Guns
With Great Rapidity
By Ralph Courtney
Special Gable to Th. Trih,ln.

copyright, 1879, New York Tribune fnc
PARIS, Dec. 24.-Andre Lefevre. who
has just resigned as Minister of War.
fears a new aggressive war by Ger
many and, therefore, believes France
should anticipate any such move.
Others who hold similar views see
France as the worlds bulwark against
Bolshevism. They hope that the allies
of France, Rumania, Hungary and
Poland, will be able, with the assist
ance of France, to keep Bolshevism
from flowing westward, but if Ger
many goes Red they realize how great
ly France will be menaced.
They believe that France, whose
troops are now on the Rhine, must ad-
vance further eastward if necessary to
defend western civilization. France 8
present policy is based on possible
military action against the Bolsheviki
Negotiations between the Poles and
the Bolsheviki at Riga are going badly,
and the French report that the Bolshe-
wiki are massing men along the entire
front, particularly in the eighborhood
of Wilma. 1t is assumed that they are
preparing for large scale offensive in
the spring On the other hand. the
Poles are accommodating large forces at
Wilma and the Bolsheviki accuse them
of intending another drive into Russia
Time will show which Of these reports
is true
Franco-British Relations Strained
In the mean time Franco British re-
lations are not Of the smoothest
Frances pro- Turk policy in the Near
East has been thrown aside by Pre-
mier Lloyd George, who left France
without Offering England's moral sup
port either to the French policy in the
Near East or toward Bolshevism.
There also remains the question OF
German Preparations and Silesia. Many
Frenchmen have come to the conclusion
that France will be deserted by Eng
land and must depend on her own mill
tary strength to carry through her
policy in Europe.
tions with Germany, Lefevre declared
yesterday in the Chamber Of Deputies
Let's make war at once" and in his
suggestion he represented the opinion
of many Frenchmen, who look forward
with apprehension to situation into
which it is feared France may drift
o. be forced by European develop
lncnts.
Germans Make New Cannon
Lefevre used his proposal in con-
nection with the alleged secret war
PFC parations by Germany, which Of
icial France is inclined to discredit
]. is we'll known that Germany is
manufacturing new cannon. machine
guns aeropanes and other weapons
but neither the General Staff, Supreme
War Council nor the Cabinet believes
that the German organization is capa-
Ele OF starting successful aggrcs-
sive war for some time to come.
Lcfevre retired because the govern.
ment refused to sanction his efforts tc
keep the French military machine
working at full pressure.
General de Castelnau agrees with
Lefevre that new war with Germany
may be coming, but he says France
must take time to breathe during tho
next few years.
In Action, Not In Barracks
81 would not mind giving you the
forces you demand" he said in the
Chamber of Deputies, "but not in order
to keep them in their barracks. ] dc
not want to bear the burden during
thirty years of what may only happer
fifty years hence"
At this point Lefevre sprang to his
(ContlnuAd On paue thjrtotn)