Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-19
EUROPE AG|TATED
OVER BOUNDARIES.
Revision of Treaties Issue
Acute, but High Barriers
Are Faced.
BY PAUL SCOTT MoWRER.


BY Radio to The Star.
PARIS. France, July 10 (C.D.N).-A
great diplomatic struggle for revision
, of European frontiers as fixed by the
peace treaties is now on.
The French project for a European
| union makes it virtually certain that
! this revision will be discussed openly at
Geneva next September. The German
reply to the French memorandum says
l, almost in SO many words that Germany
cannot join a European union unless
there are first certain territorial
changes.
Hungary shares this view, as also, to
some extent. do Austria, Bulgaria and
Lithuania. The Franco-Italian tension
thas stimulated Premier Mussolini to de-
! clare that italy wants certain territorial
changes and the re-establishment of
complete equality between the victors
and the vanquished of the World War.
BOrah's Views Stated.
Senator William E. Borah, chairman
of the United States Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, has expressed
publicly his sympathy for MusSolinis
thesis. Ramsay Macdonald, British
prime minister, is silent on the sub
iect. but wrote an article just before
he became prime minister in which
he definitely favored treaty revision.
Informal Franco-German conversations
regarding possible revision seem to have
occurred and Poland accordingly is
QnYinfV
But what changes are to be desired,
or are desir able specifically? Should
all be granted, or only some of them?
At whose expense should the changes
be made? And, will those designated
to make the sacrifice accept it?
1t Is in consideration of these ques-
lions that the British publicist, Henry
Wickham Steed, recently declared, "re-
vision means war" But even If re-
vision means merely STEADY resistance
to the establishment of real peace and
stability, 1t is an issue serious enough
to concern every one, not excluding
because of our foreign trade and in
vestments-ourselves.
Four Groups Defined.
Roughly speaking, Europe at the pres
ent time falls into four groups, which,
in population, though not otherwise, ap-
proximately equal the United States.
These are:
/. The sterilization group, which likes
the present order and is ready. If nee
esSary, to defend it. France, Belgium,
Poland, Rumania, Jugoslavia, Czecho-
slovakia, Esthonia and Latvia. with a
total population of 126,00O,000, COM
prise this group.
2. The revisionist group which, for
one reason Sor another, is profoundly
dissatisfied with the present order and
is ready to block real peace and sta
biliZation, unless changes are made.
The revisionist countries are Germany.
Italy, Hungary, Austria, Bulgaria and
Iithuania, with total population of
126, 900 900.
3. The neutral group, which in the
interests of peace, would be willing to
see certain changes, provided they
would be at the others expense, and
would be inclined to defend the pres
ent order only If their own territories
are threatened. This group is COM
posed of Great Britain Holland, Swe-
den, Norway Denmark. Finland, Spain,
Portugal Greece and Switzerland, with
total population of 106,000,000.
Russia Is Big Factor.
4. Soviet Russia, protagonist Of a
world revolution, which has vague
and somewhat mysterious understand
ing with Germany, but otherwise con-
siders all capitalist states potential en-
emies. Russia has 10000, 900 people.
The first, or stabilizing, group is the
! only one. except possibly the Soviet
group, which agrees on exactly what II
wants It is the most homogeneous and
best armed and, therefore, seemingly
the strongest.
The third, or neutral group is by its
very nature undecided and anxious
above all to avoid trouble and to make
! no new commitments.
The Soviet government knows what
it wants, but for the present at least
seems to lack the means for realizing
its revolutionary aim outside its own
frontiers.
Lacks Unity of Aims.
AS for the second. or revisionist group
with the exception OF Italy ano
Lithuania its members are partially
disarmed by the peace treaties, and Il
is further weakened by the fundamental
fact that its members do not want the
same changes and do not entirely trust
one another, thus making common
action difficult, If not impossible.
Germany would like to recover the
so-called Polish Corridor and Danzig,
to say nothing of Upper Silesia. 1t
would like to recover at least part of
its lost colonies. 1t would like to an
mex Austria and see Tyrol returned by
Italy to Austria. But under the cove
nant of the League of Nations, the Lo-
carno treaties and the Kellogg pact
Germany is bound not to go to war
for these ends. Its only hope, there
fore, would seem to lie in some un-
expected generosity on the part of
Poland, Great Britain, France and Italy,
or in war starting elsewhere, for ex-
ample, between Poland and Russia. en-
abling Germany to bargain its neutral
ity or intervention.
Italy, according to its official news
papers, would like to receive Dalmatia
from Jugoslavia; Nice, Savoy, Corsica,
Tunis and the Lake Tchad district from
France, and Malta and certain colonial
lands from Great Britain, but it is also
bound by the League and the Kellogg
and Locarno pacts not to start war.
Other Desires Listed.
Hungary wants Pennsylvania back
from Rumania, Slovakia and Ruthenia
from Czechoslovakia, Banat and Voy-
vodena from Jugoslavia and finally
Burgenland from Austria, but it is
bound by the pacts and treaties. and,
IN any case, is utterly impotent in the
face of its powerful neighbors. unless
1t has even more powerful allies.
Austria wants the Tyrol back from
Italy, Bulgaria would like to recover its
lost lands from Greece, Jugoslavia and
Rumania and Lithuania would like to
have Poland cede 1t the Wilma region,
but none of these small countries seems
to have the slightest chance of realiz-
ing their hopes without big allies.
The dilemma OF the revisionist states
therefore seems to be as follows: Either
they must content themselves with some
small readjustments as the price OF