Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-11
BY PAUL SCOTT MOWER.

ARIS.-The committee appointed
by the League of Nations las
September to study and draw
4 up plaL for a European unior
as formally proposed at tina
time by Foreign Minister Aristidt
BRAND of France meets at Genevs
January 10. The event is awaited with
great curiosity throughout Europe anc
will doubtless be closely followed BY
American diplomatic observers.
AdversarieS of the project are still
ecof1ng. Nothing, they say, can evel
come of it, Its supporters, however
are far from discouraged. They will be
satisfied in the present difficult circum-
stances If they can keep it alive. Fol
the moment they expect little or moth
ing. It is on the future that theil
confidence is based.
M. BRAND thought and still thinks
that Europe sooner or later must get
together, both politically and ecnomi-
h a self-evident truth and is bound to
impose itself in the long run.
Benes, Picks 1s45 Date.
Eduard BeneS, foreign minister OF
CzechoSlovakia, thinks that the propi-
tious time will be about 1945, that is
TO say, one generation after the World
War.
In any case, the committee, when it
meets, will include at least Is foreign
ministers presided over by NJ BRAND,
and assisted, in the absence in Latin
America of Sir Eric Drummond, per-
manent secretary of the League, by
J. L. M. c. Avenol, assistant secretary,
who is French
M. Brands original plan. it will be
recalled, as presented in his historic
memorandum, was to form union out
side the League of Nations and give po-
litical considerations precedence over
economic His idea was that the League,
being universal, would be unable to deal
properly with strictly European prob
lens and that inaSmuch as every one
knows that the main obstacles to eco
uornic agreements are political rivalr1es
and ambitions, it would be logical to
try to settle the political differences
first.
Incidentally. quarrels over the from
tiers, M. BRAND thinks, would simply
cease to exist in properly constituted
European union because exact demar-
cations between countries would no
longer be important. What he seems
TO have had in mind ultimately was a
European customs union made possible
by an agreement for mutual aid against
possible aggression.
Three Opposing Sources.
M Brands plan. however, has met
opposition from three strong sources:
First, permanent officials of the League
of Nations, who have felt that reali-
zation of q European Union would
greatly weaken the League and its
worldwide ideals: second, Great Bril-
tain, which Is neither quite in nor quite
out of European affairs, and, in any
case, Is alarmed at the idea of a con-
tinental union, and, third, revisionist
states like Germany, Hungary and
Italy. which might ultimately welcome
a union, but only after the frontiers
have been revised in their favor
Despite this opposition, the BRAND
plan was accepted in principle and the
present meeting of the Study Commit
tee represents the next STEP Nothing
has occurred since September to modify
the opposition. League officials are still
unenthusiastic, the revisionist states
are more insistent than ever on frontier
revision, and Great Britain's position
following the failure of the imperial
conference remains unchanged.
NJ. Brands political adversarieS, who
are becoming more and more numerous
in France are, therefore. loudly pro-
claiming that the whole scheme Is
abortive because in such an unstable