Evening star., 1932-05-01
RECOVERY ABROAD LINKED|
WITH DANUBIAN QUESTION
Political Duel Between Germany and
France Leaves No Middle Crol7nd
for Compromise.

cause there exists today no middle
ground for compromise. Hindenburg's
victory in the presidential election
failed to modify French fears, because
for the French the really significant
fact was the progress of the Nazi vote.
A victory for the Left in the French
elections would not make the Franco
German adjustments easier because
even the French Left is seriously
alarmed at the threat it sees beyond
the Rhine.
Even if there were a Herriot govern
ment in France after the elections, as
is very possible, it would give way to
a cabinet of national concentration in
no time at all if Herriot showed any
signs of following the BRAND example
and falling into what most of France
thinks was and remains a German
ambush. A majority of Frenchmen are
clearly Of the impression that Ger
many in which Hitler waves the
bloody shirt" and the eX-CroWn Prince
addresses the Steel Helmets is not ex-
actly a country to which to make
financial loans or political concessions.
One of the greatest evils of the
Disarmament Conference has lain in
the fact that while almost all the
delegates present have told the truth
privately, they have publicly concealed
all the realities and gone on issuing
optimistic statements bearing no rela-
ton to facts That has built up an
impression of willingness to cooperate
between the great powers The chief
merit Of the London Conference lay in
the fact that it demolished the dis
gUise. For once no one present could
claim a success and leave it to the
public to discover a little later that
nothing whatever had been achieved.
But If at London the great powers
could not agree as to a program for
the smaller states, program of eco
nomic reconstruction, then what chance
is there that they can agree In mat
ters directly affecting their vital in
terests, such as disarmament and rep
arationS? None, Of course. No one Ill
Europe holding responsible Office is
blind to the fact that the whole Con-
tinent is sinking into an almost inde-
scribable state of economic and f1nan-
cial prostration. But perception of
this fact has not in the least tended
to weaken the national barriers to any
general cooperation.
Cooperation Efforts Fail.
A change in government in France
cannot make an improvement in Fran
co-German relations because control in
Germany is moving in just the opposite
direction. If the Radicals and So
cialiStS come to power in France, it will
only be confronted by the task of deal
ing with the extreme NationaliStS in
Germany. Herriot can no more do bust
ness with Hitler than Tardieu with
Bruening. In fact, the latter would
have been far easier.
A year ago, when I was in Europe,
before. men of all nations reported that
an enormous catastrophe was only to
be averted if political considerations
were promptly subordinated to eco
nomic, and politics relegated to the
background. In the last II months
the march toward the catastrophe has
proceeded without interruption. All at
temptS at cooperation have failed But
in the face of these facts the events at
London disclosed Europe no nearer to
any agreement. All that could be
agreed upon was that unless something
were done Immediately, the Danubian
area would fall into utter ruin. Such
ruin, too, would prove a catastrophe
for all the continent. But when the
question of remedy was touched, the
conference broke down. Better the ruin
of Europe than the abandonment of
national policies. That was the obvious
decision. And no better picture of Eu-
rope is imaginable.
German policy discloSes the convic-
tion that the complete economic and
financial collapse of Central Europe
would be less intolerable than the tri-
umph of the French program of sal
wage, which might close the door to
German expansion. French policy, by
contrast, shows just as clear a convic-
ton that the utter and unlimited COL
lapse of Germany and of Central Eu-
rope would be less disastrous for her
than the reconstruction of a Germany
controlled by Hitler and directed by his
ideas.
So Germany, backed by Italy, has
blocked the French plan in the Danube.
And France has SO far Steadfastly
blocked any attempt to salvage Ger
many financially while she remains DO
litically intransigeant. France can do
nothing in the Danuban area without
German assent. But no one can help
Germany while France refuses to open
her pockets or agree to the revision of
her contracts. The deadlock is then
just as tight as it was when President
Hoover launched a moratorium, which
was to save Europe now almost year
later resolutely resolved to be saved
only by ways which are irreconcilable
and therefore unavailable.
Copyright, 1922