Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-26
FRANCO-GERMAN
TENSION IS EASED
Stimson Halls Improvement,
But Washington Is
SkeptiCaI.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.
On the eve Of leaving London for his
present week end visit to Berlin, Secre-
tary Stimson telephoned President
Hoover that the great outstanding re-
suit OF the seven-power debt conference
was lessening in Franco-German fric-
ton. Col Stimson said he was author
lied to make that important statement
by no other than M. Pierre Laval, prime
minister of France. 1t was not under
stood at the White House that the gun
powder has been fully extracted from
Franco-German relations, but the Lon
don meeting materially relieved the
situation of explosiveness. 1t did not
usher in an era Of final accord between
Paris and Berlin. What it did do, in
Premier Laval'S words, was to lay the
foundations of reign of confidence"
such as has not existed in many year
France Holds Key.
The Hoover administration, having
taken the lead within the last 90 days
in the fields both of disarmament and
German economic restoration, has been
brought to realize by recent events that
German impeachment Is
essential to any real results in either of
those directions. France holds the key
to each OF the two situations. She is
the strongest military power in Europe
as well as the richest. Until the French
are willing to reduce ornaments there
is no practical use in discussing the
subject. France has just officially noti-
fled the League of Nations that the sub
Ject will remain unbeatable from her
standpoint until the French are offered
something to take the place of FORTH
cations, machine guns, battle cruisers
and bombing planes.
Paris makes no bones about the
guarantees" she would demand in ex-
change for demolished forts, spiked
guns. scrapped warships and demol-
lshed aircraft. These guarantees"
center almost exclusively around Ger
many. Strange as it may sound to
American ears, it is dismembered, dis
armed and bankrupt Germany that
France fears, rather than Great Brit
ain with her mighty navy or Italy with
a formidable army and fleet 1t is not
the Germany of 1891 that the French
are thinking about. It is the Germany
of 194l or 1851 or 1861 that they
have in mind. Frances anxieties are
of the future. not of the present. The
ancient foe across the Rhine is on his
knees today. But how long will he
be there? The answer is, just as long
as the French can keep him there.
They intend that it shall be a very
long time. Frances implacable de-
mand for security means security
against the Germany that some day.
the French are persuaded, will seek q
war of revenge.
Aristide BRAND Missed.
AS long as Aristide BRAND was
power in French governments, there
was always a strong hope that ways
and means would be found for adjust
ing relations with Germany on a basis
OF mutual accommodation. That hope
took wings in May of this year when
M BRAND was overwhelmingly de-
feated for the Presidency of the
French republic. Looked upon for
months before as M. Doumergue's GER
tain successor, BRAND was suddenly
undone by the announcement of the
German Austrian tariff union project
AS matters have turned out, Germany
was inept in launching that scheme at
the time she did, for it removed from
real power the one French statesman
devoted to the cause of Franco
German reconciliation. BRAND, after
saying he would not return to the
foreign minister's post, consented to
do SO after his defeat for the PreSi-
dency. With that decision his influ-
ence waned to the vanishing point
Today it is the Laval-Tardieu-Po incare
Nationalist spirit that pervades Franco
German relations, not the conciliatory
spirit of Aristide BRAND. Throughout
the late Hoover debt-eXtenSion nego-
tiations, BRAND was a totally impotent
inquire. He took part in conferences,
but not as the old BRAND He was q
tiger with his claws trimmed. A
Washington statesman, prominent in
recent activities, opined to this writer
that If BRAND had retained his former
authority in the French government
the Hoover debt suspension accord
would have been fixed up in four days
instead of three weeks. He added that
the existing credit situation in Ger
many would be correspondingly easier,
and foreign inclination to help in keep
ing with BRAND, instead of Laval,
were directing French foreign policy.
French Policy Clear.
France may not Immediately press
her claims, but the basic items in her
disarmament and economic program are
these:
/. Germany must cease conspiring
for the abolition of the Polish corridor
which cuts across and divides East
Prussia for the purpose of giving Poland
access to the sea. The recent demon
stration of the steel Helmets" Ger
man ex-service mems organization, at
BreSlau, in favor of "wiping out" the
Polish corridor. gave deep offense IN
France. France Is Poland's military
and financial ally. french francs have
been put to work along Germany's pres
ent eastern frontier just as they for
merly were put to work in Russia-to
guarantee the French a military ally in
that quarter in the event OF another
war.
2. Germany must indefinitely post
pone, if not wholly give up, the idea
of tariff Anschluss with Austria in v!o-
lation, as the French claim, OF the
treaty of Versailles. Czechoslovakia Is
the military and financial ally OF
France, just as Poland is. German
Austria tariff union threatens the eco
nomic life of the Czechoslovakians they
claim. France is at bat to prevent any
such calamity Detailing her little entente
associate.
3. Germany must give evidence OF
her peaceful intents in Europe by CIV
ing up the idea of a strong navy, even
along the limited lines she Is entltieo
to pursue. The French speclncally
object to the Germans constructing ex-
pensive pocket battleships." each the
equivalent of any two so-called cruisers
,.o,,,, xui,i1a the Reich nfe-