Evening star., 1926-08-22
EUROPE IS CAUGHT
IN TREATY FLOOD
Many Factors Seen Behind
Powers Return to Old
"VeiIed Diplomacy"

By Cable to The Star and New York World
PARIS. August 21.-The chancel-
lortes of The leading countries Of Eu-
rope are in a fever Of activity discuss
ing the signing Of the so-called mutual
defense treaties. The Franco-Ru-
manian and 1talo-Spanish treaties
hardly were signed before 1t was an
nounced that Poland and Jugoslarta
were about to sign one of their own.
France Is working on one with Jugo-
slavia and Italy is projecting series
OF treaties with most of the countries
in the Balkans and Central Europe.
All OF these treaties are declared to
he under the rules of the League of
Nations and in accordance with the
spirit of Locarno. Those which have
been registered with the league ap-
pear to he innocuous statements OF
good will. This is also true Of the
recent Italo-Spa nish treaty and pre-
sumably true of the Franco -Ruma mar
treaty. which has not yet been pub
lished.
Full Agreement Not Given.
Under these circumstances 1t has
struck some observers as strange that
there is such a rush to sign mutual
protestations of friendship. Due to
the frequency of the treaties 1t has
become an open secret that the
feve.-ish activity is a renewal OF the
old European necessity of signing up
ones friends, and that the documents.
as they become public, do not reveal
the whole extent of the engagement.
In some cases II is known and In
others II Is suspected that there are
secret clauses promising in detail ex-
actly what military support each con
tracing power issto expect from the
other in case Of need. These unpub-
lished understandings, where they eX-
list. are the real reason for making
the treaties. They are not published
because they appear merely as tech
nical notes. hut they are the essence
OF the treaties and the effect OF their
existence is to create series of secret
military alliances.
Course Held Necessary.
AS secret diplomacy is supposed to
have heen renounced. 1t has struck
some observers as folly for important
countries to let themselves in for
ing up the old military alliance game,
but the explanations that are coming
from the holy of HOLES of the chancel-
lories are that it is necessary.
It is said to be known beyond a
doubt that Germany and Russia made
a secret military agreement when
they signed the Rapallo treaty, which
since has been renewed in a much
tirmer alliance. II Is also declared TO
he known that the Soviet made a
secret military alliance with Turkey
when Tchitcherin signed the treaty
of Paris with the AnSora government
Germany thus Is in the position of
a bad boy who started the game ana
the others have done the same In self
defense. The cause for the freShened
activity in recent months is declared
TO he due to the Russia n.Turkish un-
derstandinS and the strengthening OF
the military understanding between
Russia and Germany.
Italy Also Is Blamed.
Renito Mussolini's imperialistic ex-
pressions also are given AS the reason
for other countries taking precau'
tions. Curiously enough. while the
chancellories are feverishly active, no
one seems to believe in the efficacy of
the hidden agreements which are
considered hardly worth putting
away in vaults, because experience
has shown that hidden agreements
cannot be made to work unless public
opinion favors the measures they
contain. A case in point 10 the agree.
ment of Greece during the war to
come to the support of Serbia. which
she did not and could not do because
Greek opinion opposed such action.
The chief utility of the new under
standings Is 10 throw a veil OF mys-
terry over European diplomacy again.
tCopyrisht 1926