Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-29
MANCHURIAN CRISIS SEEN
UNFORTUNATE FOR CRANDI
Purpose of Italian Foreign Ministers
Visit to America Obscured by
Far East's War News.

! likely to be increased than reduced In
| the next few years in Europe.
| Nevertheless, if the Italians could be
photographed standing beside powerful
/ America in advocating reduction, GER
| tain measure of prestige would flow to
them and the nightmare of isolation
would be exercised. Literally, after last
Summers events, there was nowhere
else for Mussoiini to turn. The well
come which attended Stimson when he
reached Rome was directly consequent
upon the perception of the situation
which had followed the Franco-German
clash.
No Real Money in Game.
Grandi's visit to Washington, then,
which was deliberately played up in
American official quarters as represent
ing a step in the march toward success
in the forthcoming disarmament con-
ference, seemed in all European eyes
no more than one more in the long
series of endeavors of Fascist diplomacy
to escape isolation. When Grand had
been photographed with President Hoo
yer on the White House steps, his mis-
sion had been accomplished from his
own standpoint. When Mr. Stimson de-
clared that the sky was the limit" of
political discussions, one of the Italians
remarked dryly that it was not the
size of the limit but the value of the
stakes which counted first, and that
there was no real money in this game.
Rome is under no illusion as to the
fact that things are going from bad to
worse, both economically and politi-
cally, in Germany. The Italians who
accompanied Grandi-Some of whom
had been to Berlin with him, some re-
Gently in PariS-reported privately that
Germany was sinking and French reSo-
luton was hardening. All saw the ar
rival of new crisis in Europe during
the present Winter.
But since he is here to give all pos
sible appearance of support to the dis
armament projects of Mr. Hoover and
to acquire all possible prestige by fos-
tering the impression of Italian -Ameri-
can intimacy. all of Grandi's public
statements were shot through with opti-
miSm about disarmament and an inf
mite amount of frank nonsense was put
out about the possibility Of Franco
italian agreement in the naval dispute
over parity. Privately the Italians con-
coded with charming frankness that
they saw no hope Of such adjustment.
Got What They Wanted.
The trouble with all these so-called
contact" episodes lies precisely in the
fact that they give the public the inn
preston that an enormous amount of
practical work is being done and that
concrete results are being achieved
That was the trouble with the famous
Hoover Macdonald Rapidan meeting,
which was hailed as the promise of a
successful five power conference at Lon
don.
On the surface considerable portion
of the American public has been led to
believe the visits Of Laval and Grand
represent progress toward adjustment;
in fact nothing could be less exact.
Laval came here to make sure that
Washington would not intervene again
between France and Germany, as it did
at the time of the moratorium. Grand
came here, as have said, to be photo
graphed with the President and Mr..
Stimson. Both got what they wanted,
but neither result represents the slight
est serious contribution to the solution
of the European crisis.
What Is real in Europe is not the
present series of more or less empty
negotiations which are proceeding sim
ply formally, but the rapidly develop
ing crisis in Germany. Until 1t becomes
clear what that will lead to no real
steps will or can be taken. Meantime
European anxiety is being steadily ac-
centuated by the realization that the
events in Manchuria have disclosed the
complete bankruptcy Of all postwar
devices for avoiding war.
Another Crisis Seen.
The present situation, after all, Is on
all tours with that of last Summer. In
the midst of the Washington discussion
OF disarmament the people of the
United States without warning, were
brought to face the crisis which cul-
minated in the collapse of Germany
and OF all Central Europe financially.
and finally in the British disaster. This
crisis had been perceived in Europe for
many months, but officially in Wash
1ngton it had been ignored or denied.
A new and perhaps an even greater
crisis is now in the making, and it
would be a great misfortune If either
the Laval or Grand visits, both of
which are relatively meaningless, should
serve to create here an inexact impress
sion OF Europe which would permit the
American public again to be surprised
by new European crisis at least as
acute as that of June.
Copyright, 1917