The Washington herald., 1922-04-19
GERMAN COUP WILL
RUIN CONFERENCE,
SIMONDS DECLARES

Continued From Page One)
gary to this new alliance to pro-
vide at once a fresh grouping of che
Continental powers, with the little
entente and France on one side and
Germany. Russia and Hungar" CT
the other. Moreover Bulgaria is
certain to gravitate at once to :he
German side thus throwing Iugo-
Slavia to the French.
May Prevent Break.
Now it is conceivable. just con-
ceivable and that is all that Lloyd
George. by some gfc al! .f!s- own:
may succeed in preventing an i'm
mediate break. but it is patiently
beyond the power of Ge )rge to re-
store the illusion that Genoa is an
economic conference or that the
nations OF Europe have met in Il
new spirit to seek reconstruction
not of national aspirations and
frontiers but of economic prosperity.
Moreover. froIi this momen: the
situation of Poincare and George,
to go no further, becomes intoler-
able on the home front. If il were
not that the Fren.., chamber If
deputies IS in vacation at the ma-
L
recall his representatives from Ge-
noa at once AS foT George. :he
chorus of criticism from all the
conservative Journals in Britain is
the best evidence of what he has to
expect, since the majority .vf his
supporters are toriec.
+ Unites Britain and France.
Shining as is the temporary sue
cess of the Germans. however. its
consequences may be fatal not
only to Germany but to European
recovery. A year ago, at the mo-
ment when. in the conference of
London. Lloyd George was prepared
to go a long way to aid GERMANY
in the matter of reparations, it was
the insolence of Simons which
forced the British prime minister
against his will to support the
French contentious.
Now the comedy repeats itself.
George went to Genoa prepared to
support Germany against France
to a very great extent. There was,
therefore, a splendid opportunity
for the Germans by merely playing
the game to assist in the final rup-
ture of Anglo-French association,
but instead the Germans have done
the one thing which must tend most
to throw Britain and France back
into each others arms. What they
have done exactly is to exchange
German recognition of the Boil
shevist government for a Boil
shevist surrender to Germany OF
the eventual monopoly of the Rus
sian market. And this means eco
nomic disaster for Britain
Challenges War Settlement.
By a mutual cancellation of all
war debts and claims, however, the
Germans and the Bolshevists have
established a precendent which, IL il
stands. will enormously strengthen
the German case for the abolition
of all reparations due from Ger
many to France. Indeed, 1t Is not
too much to say that either directly
o. indirectly the Rapallo agreement
challenges the whole settlement of
the world war, the settlement made.
at Paris and signed at Versailles.
And not even Lloyd George can be
prepared to go this far in the sup
port of either German or Russian
Russian particularly as the new bar
gain destroys the hope of restoring
British markets.
Actual failure at Genoa however,
the break up of the conference.
must have very prompt and dis
agreeable consequences. When I
left Paris ten days ago the failure
of Genoa was fully foreseen. and
behind this expectation lay the very
widespread conviction that the next
step would have to be French mill
tary action. Such action would
have been, opposed by the British
most strenuously. provided Ger
many's course had left them with
the smallest Justification. but Ger
many has. in advance. been guilty
of something which Lloyd George,
himself, has described as bad
faith"
French idea Tindic.ted.
At the moment the advantage in
the situation lies with the French.
They have obtained in German ac-
tion the best possible vindication
OF their consistent description of
German purpose. Events have
proven them right both as to Ger
many and as to Russia. Moreover,
a common peril coming from Ger
many and Russia must drive all
the little entente states in the