Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-30
EUROPE WATCHING
FOR SIGN THAT US.
BACKS WAR TREATY
Gibson Vote With France at
Geneva Thought Move to
Uphold Peace.
DEFEATED NATIONS SEEN
FORMING OPPOSING BLOC
Opinion Expressed War Is Unlikely
if America Exerts Pressure
for Status Quo.
BY PAUL SCOTT MoWRER.


BY Radio to The Star
PARIS, France, November 29-Is
the alleged formation of a bloc of de-
feated and malcontent countries-Italy,
Germany Russia, Hungary, Bulgaria,
Turkey, Austria and Lithuania-tend-
ing to swing the support of Great
Britain and the United States to France
and the status quo group in the interest
Of preserving world peace and the
balance Of power? This is the question
which Is being widely asked in Europe.
That Premier Mussolini of Italy has
been actively engaged in trying to over
come Germany's hesitations and con-
solidate the anti-French bloc is an open
secret Italy has established close
diplomatic relations with Hungary,
Bulgaria, Turkey and certain factions
in Austria. She has recently cemented
her ties with Russia and has openly
offered her support to Germany.
Germany has manifested reluctance
to enter any combination with Italy,
but Germany has close ties with Russia
and Lithuania, and 1t has been noted
that the Hungarian premier, Count
Bethlen, has just visited Berlin, pre-
sumably as a sort of Intermediary be-
tween Italy and Germany in questions
of general foreign policy.
Powers Vote Together.
At the meeting of the Preparatory
Disarmament Commission in Geneva,
Italy, Germany, Russia, Bulgaria and
Turkey recently have been voting con-
stantly together Maxim M. Litvinov
and Dino Grand, foreign ministers of
Russia and Italy, respectively. have had
conspicuous private interview at
Milan. Tewflk RuShdi Bey, Turkish
foreign minister, is now visiting Rome.
All the malcontetn states demand
certain changes Of the frontiers in their
favor. They explain that. they ardently
desire peace and that this is why they
want the changes, because as long as
the present frontiers are maintained
there cannot be permanent peace.
These explanations are unanimously
interpreted in France as meaning that
if the indictments are not given GER
tain territories now belonging to the
status quo states, they will in the long
run no longer favor peace.
Not Expecting War Now.
No immediate outbreak of hostilities
Is expected because France and its
allies are still strong and the principal
malcontent states, Italy, Germany and
Russia, are all known to be prey to
grave economic difficulties involving an
acute shortage Of capital which, 1t Is
considered, would make the conduct OF
prolonged war almost impossible. But
threat of war Is considered never
theless to be implied.
In these circumstances France is
watching with intense interest the
movement of the governmental opinion
of three other countries-namely,G Great
Britain, the United States and Spain,
for it is felt that if Great Britain and
the United States really show a dis
position to take an active part in pre-
serving peace, no outbreak can occur.
The British Labor government no
sooner entered Office l8 months ago
than it seized the first occasion to make
conspicuous break with France and
has since been opposing France, it Is
believed on virtually every issue. Fol-
lowing Adolf Hitler's Fascist success in
the German elections slight change
was noticed. however, in the direction
of a Franco-British rapprochement.
Great Britain seemed to feel that
Germany was going too far At the
Geneva Disarmament Commission ses-
sions France and Great Britain have
been working together and on Thurs
day occurred an incident which at
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