Evening star., 1932-09-04
REICH TO TELL j. s.
|TSARMY DEMANDS
Equality With Other European
Nations Goal of Drive on
Versailles Pact.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

demanding arms equality with its Eu-
ropean neighbors as soon as France
consults this Government on the
memorandum which the Reich has just
submitted at Paris The Berlin au-
thorities will inform President Hoover
and Secretary Stimson that the Ger
man Republic seeks to abolish the mill
tary clauses Of the treaty Of Versailles,
whereby Germany Is condemned to
relative helplessness on land and sea,
simply because her people will no long
er tolerate such conditions.
Every day they continue to Be i'm
posed. the. Germans declare, the tide
Of sullen discomfort will rise ever high
er, until 1t becomes an uncomfortable
torrent that will sweep away all SEM
blance of stable government. If Com
munism taxes It's place. the prediction
is frankly hazarded that not only Ger
many, but perhaps all Central Europe.
will be engulfed. This, 1t can be au-
thoritativelv stated, will be the sum
and substance OF Berlin's oficial repre-
sentations at Washington when the
time comes for the United States to
adopt an attitude toward Germanys
claim for arms equality.
Presentation to the French govern
ment last week of Germany's memo
1andum on the arms situation did not
take the White House or State Depart
ment by surprise. 1t has long been
anticipated. From the time the then
Chancellor Bruening made Germanys
opening statement at the Geneva Dis
armament Conference, last February,
until Ambassador Nadolny. the Reichs
chief delegate. spoke in opposition to
the celebrated Benes adjournment reso-
luton on July 70, the Reich's position
has been known and consistently main
tanned.
u. s. Delegates Informed.
It was only q question of time when
the Berlin government would take the
formal action to which 1t has now re-
sorted Senator Swanson, Norman ID.
Davis and DR.. Mary E. Woolley, our
Geneva delegates. and especially our
military and naval experts at the con-
terence came home fully cosnizant OF
the Germans attitude and determine
tion. The principal German military
spokesman at Geneva. Gen. Won Blom-
berg. frequently outlined his countrys
| position to his American colleagues
| there.
Through DR.. Bruening's initial dec
lsration, Ambassador Nadolny's subse-
ouent statement at the conferences END
and the repeated arguments OF German
military and naval men at Geneva there
ran one definite arsument-tnat ate.
| IA wears of humiliating military and
naval impotence, the German people
! will not rest content until tney nave
thrown of the shackles OF Versallies.
They would resent permanent inferlorlty
! to their neighbors under any circum-
stances. But when, In addition 10 Smcn
| isnominy, they observe that the ailleo
powers, which imposed peace terms
i1pon Germany, have taken no real steps
to carry out their own promises to dis
arm. then. the Germans contend, they
recognize no further obligation to re-
main helpless.
| This. the German government insists.
is not the principal cause Of the Reicn's
demand for arms equality. 1t Is
claimed that the outside world fails to
realize that the elements OF extreme
rad,calism like Hitlerism and Com
mupism have grown in volume ana
| ferocity mainly because of their resent
ment that q nation of $1,000 600 souls
is kept in military subjecticn. The Won
Hindenburg- Papen-von Scn!elcner
triumvirate that now rules at Berlin,
according to its spokesmen. do not want
to burst the bonds OF the Versallies
treaty, irksome and obnoxious as they
are. in order to restore German mill
tarism. They must be broken, 1t Is
argued. to Appease the self-respect OF
the German people, especially the rising
generation, and to preserve the existing
order in the Reich.
Would Avoid Extremes.
II through denial of arms equality
demands German popular evaporation
reaches the desperation point, the pres
ent government candidly comedies that
it cannot answer for eventuaiities
President Won Hindenburg and the
Reichswehr German army OF 100000
men permitted under the versailles
treaty have so far been able to hold the
embittered nation In restraint. But the
underlying purpose of the notice the
Reich has just served on France. and
through France, upon the world at
large, is to make nlain that things can
net continue indefinitely on the present
basis.
Undoubtedly the German9 have
launched campaign to do away with
arms inequality, which will be con-
Quoted as intensively as their success
full campaign to do away with repara-
tions. At Lausanne this Summer they
accomplished their purpose with refer
ence to reparaticns, after several years
of economic crisis in Europe, which
finally spread into the United States
To what lengths Germany will 60 IL
enforcing arms equality demands has
not yet been disclosed.
1t is unthinkable that she could OF
would resort to force. France alone
could easily stamp out any move oi
that sort. The far larger probability is
that If, after diplomatic negotiations
to revise the Versailles military clauses
the Germans received no satisfaction
their next step would be to withdraw
from the Geneva Disarmament Confer
ence and the League OF Nations. Th:
best opinion at Washington is that
Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria, Ger
many's World War allies, would follow
her example. That would of itself pro-
woke serious situation in Central Eu-
rope.
Expect French Concession.
AuCliCdh duGiiOIltlcS IdIIUldT Will
the grave question Germany has nov
raised think that France, which hold
! the key to It's solution, may eventually
see the wisdom Of making some conces.
sions to the Germans short OF the
. sweeping ones she demands At present
} Germany Is denied the right to builc
fo-tifications, maintain military air.
} craft. use tanks or heavy artillery, OF
keep under arms more than 100000
men. These men are required, under
the Versailles treaty, to enlist for a pc
riod OF IL years. thus preventing Ger.
many, through shorter enlistment pc.
RODS, from training larger numbers oi
soldiers.
1t is suggested that the Reich might
be content to have q professional army
enlisted on 6-year instead Of 12-yeal
basis, If the total strength were raised
to, say. 250,000 or 100000 men. If the