Evening star., 1931-06-21
FR ANCO-CERMAN COLLOQUIES
SEEN KEY TO EUROPE'S FUTURE
Attitude u. S. Adopts in War Debts Is Ex-
pected to Play Important Part In
Economic Recovery.

Germany has adopted TINS attitude
heSAuSe 1t .slneefely believes that the
French atm L. to keep Germany down
pefpetually. The French, In turn, BE-
iieve that 0ermany's aim is to over
throw the peace treaties ana reverse
the whole postsbellufi1 situation In
Qernaanys favor. Each declares that
with the other, but each wants II on
Its own terms, and for the present II
looks Ike an exceedingly determined
game Of freeSe6ut.
French Oppose German Aims. :
GernnAny's aims. appear TO be new
reduction In fepafations, eventual Ali~
l1exation Of Austria. recovery Of the So
called cerri0or from Poland ana euuAli-
ty Of armament With France. France
Y firmly opposed to Germany on each
Germany Bianes France for ali itS
Ills and disappointfhetitS. France claims
that Germany itself Is responsible for
most Of its troubles, which 1t alleges
are encouraged deliberately for the plif-
pose Of proving that the situation Is ufi-
tenable and that the treaties must be
revised.
Recent moves in the hard Diplomatic
game. which affects the prosperity II
easily be traced Germany d FEW weeks
ago suddenly announced that It was
about TO make o customs union with
Austria. It tried at the same time to
draw Frances allies, Ruf1atiA and
Jugoslavia, into the German economic
orbit.
France declared that the proposed
customs union iS contrary to the
treaties. The case was taken before
the League Of Nations, which referred
1t to the World Court, which in turn
OF Summer. France succeeded tefnpo-
rarily IN preventing German. .Rumanian
negotiations ana Is itself about to come
TO new economic understandings with
Jugoslavia.
The Germans then went To London
and reopened the fepafations question
without consulting their CHIEF creditor
france. This, together with the trou-
pled political situation In Austria and
Germany ana the failure Of Austria Z
largest bank, led TO heavy Withdrawals
Of foreign credit from those Countfies
The Austrian government fell.
Austria Balks French Move.
The French promised to help Austria
financially provided Austria would siRt,
an agreement to drop the customs
union with Germany. Austria refused
Great Britain Thursday came forward
temporarily with 15O, ,0O0, 900 schillinse
tabout $2l ZOO, ,ooo) loan for Austria
but the crisis is not ended. France is
waiting
1t is thought that Johann Schober
foreign minister, who in the recent
Austrian government favored the Gus
toms union, will be replaced in the new
one by Mgr. 1gf1as Seipel, who op-
poses it.
Germany, meanwhile, was about to
renew its treaty with Russia, which Is
economic, but also military. France has
countered by itself opening negotiations
with Russia.
Germany seems TO say that II civil
| war or bolShevisYn results In Germany
| France will be responsible and must
take the consequences France seems
to answer that it Will help Germany
financially and will even consider a
genuine moratorium on the reparatiens
provided Germany agrees TO cease its
agitation for treaty revision, not other
WISE Both countries seem TO want
| open conversations with each other, but
both are too proud TO make the first
move.
with the moral support of the United
States, which, however reluctantly, will
at last feel Obliged to try TO bring
about the long.awaited Franco German
talk on which the immediate future OF
Europe now seems definitely to depend
The attitude the United States adopts
on the question Of war debts will, 1t Is
felt, greatly influence the situation one
way or another.
(CobSrisht. tS3i)