Evening star., 1932-09-18

the German government mas
raised the question OF equally
in armaments are patiently Que
to the eXigencies OF domestic
politics. For the Papen cabinet 1t Is
matter of life and death to find some
issue of foreign policy which may dis
tract attention from the parochial issues
of the home front. Armaments OBJ
viously supply the only available issue
All the German people are agreed on
sl::s question and the Hitlerltes, VINO
are the most dangerous of the foes OF
Papen, are the most eager champions
Of this proposal.
BY contrast both the time and man
ner of the raising Of the question pre-
clude any real success in the debate
for the Germans, as the conditional
French refusal already indicates. the
rise of the Hitlerites. the succession to
power of the old Potsdam group backed
by the army, the recent demonstrations
OF the Steel Helmets in Berlin. these
and thousand other details have
served to arouse new apprehensions and
stir old fears in France, Poland and
Czechoslovakia.
In France, too. public opinion Is not
only stirred over the military question
itself, but by the fact that it IS raised
in violent manner Immediately after
France has at Lausanne consented to
the practical abolition of reparations.
Such a concession in French eyes de-
served a corresponding German gesture.
Instead there is the demand for new
concessions in the way of military af-
fairs
Many Aspects to Issue.
The issue which has actually been
precipitated by the German note to
Paris over this question of German
armaments has many aspects. and In
evitabIy raises many questions. On the
purely technical side it is conceded
that Germany has case in justice and
law alike. In various respects the nml-
tations placed upon her military estab-
lishment have been onerous. Her de-
sire to reduce the period Of service
from twlve to six years. to diminish
the size of her cavalry force, and va
riety of other requests are reasonable
and would obtain satisfaction were no
larger issue raised.
But the larger issue has been raised
as far back as the discussions of the
Preparatory Commission which laid the
foundations for the Arms Conference.
In that commission Germany boldly
asserted that under the treaty Of Yer
sailles her disarmament was determined
not with the idea Of imposing perma-
nent unilateral restriction, but only as
the first step in general reduction and
limitation And that is the German
Interpretation of the treaty text, which
finds acceptance in other countries, no.
tably in Britain and the United States.
France and her allies, on the con-
trary. hold that the text OF the treaty
also provided that such reduction should
only be in conformity with the require
ments of national security. They hold
that in the present state OF the world
further reductions are impossible until
there is created some central police
power to deal with violations of the
law as that law is expressed either in
the covenant of the League or the pact
of Paris. The French also claim that
German disarmament has been very
incomplete, measured by the treaty re-
Quirement.
In this situation the stand Of the
British is obviously important. And,
as usual, the British position is prac-
tical rather than dogmatic. It is per-
ceived in Great Britain that many de-
tails in the German claim are in them
selves just and should be the basis OF
concessions. 1t is also perceived that
in the larger issue. based upon the Ian
guage of the treaty, Germany has a
good case, and something must be done
to satisfy German demands.
Nevertheless. on the practical side
the British are opposed to German
return to the armed state Of 1914, and
recognize that today this Is the only
possible solution. For France and her
allies will not reduce their armies to
German limits The British would like
to find a solution that would give Ger
many practical advantages. but still
prevent a new race in armaments be-
tween France and Germany. as we'll as
an expansion Of German naval strength
that would compromise the Anglo
American parity schedules Of London.
Will Maintain Entente.
The British mean to preserve their
present entente with the French, based
And Herriot has insured such co-opera-
tion by insisting upon referring the
German note addressed to Paris to all
the other interested powers. Thus the
British are sure to oppose any German
proposal to establish military parity
with Trance as a matter OF right and
to resent any German threat to scrap
the treaty, if their wishes are not fully
complied with. And along with this
threat goes the double menace not to
return to the Arms Conference and to
resign from the League.
On the other hand. whatever govern
ment controls Germany, whether Ma
tionalist, Fascist or Republican, public
opinion in the Reich has reached point
where it would be difficult if not impos-
sible for a cabinet to retain power ii il
did not press Germany's claim to equal
ity to success. For Nationalist and FaS-
cists, the claim is the expression Of a
purpose based upon a belief in force
And the more the difficulties at home
increase the more vigorous must be
governmental action abroad.
Every sane observer now recognizes
that it is only a question Of time until
Germany, either by agreement or by
her own decision, escapes from the
one-sided disarmament provisions oi
the treaty Of Versailles. No great peo-
pie can be kept in such chains for any
long period of time. Even the French
see this fact plainly and are resigned
to the eventual consequences.
For France, the single really impor.
tant question is whether it is possible
to postpone this German rearmament
until the present state of effervescence
in Germany and in the rest of Europe
has ended. And that means practically
until the depression has terminated ane
the world has returned to normalcy
At the moment, when the parties IL
the Reich whose purposes in foreign af.
fairs threaten European tranquility
are plainly in the majority, French o.
British consent to a revision OF th'
treaty of Versailles, bestowing upor
Germany full rights to unlimited re-
armament is unlikely in the extreme
Vet in both countries the eventual rec
ognition of German right to parity 4
accepted as inevitable.
If Germany presses too hard. now
she is sure to be opposed in Londor
and in Paris and by the British ant
French at Geneva. BY contrast sh'
will be supported by the Italians. whit
are on the one hand eager to obtaiI
parity with the French and or th'
other to offset the present French com
bination of alliances on the Continen
bv q Cernoap italian association EO