Evening star., 1933-03-26
War Talk Silenced in
Europe by New Move
BY A. G. GARDINER.

LONDON. March 25.-In these days
hopes and fears chase each other across
the stage with bewildering rapidity.
Last week war talk was on every tongue
and this week the specter has vanished
behind a curtain.
The main cause of the change Of
atmosphere has been Premier Mac
Donald's visit to Premier Mussolini in
Rome and the adumbration Of the
latter's scheme for a quadrilateral peace
pact between France, Great Britain,
Italy and Germany.
The scope of the proposal is at
present vague and Premier MacDonald's
speech in the House of Commons on
Thursday left the idea still undeveloped,
but the subject has aroused the widest
interest, especially in view Of Muss0
lini's strategic position on the European
chessboard and the doubts which pre-
vailed In regard to the part he would
be likely to play.
Mr. Macdonald ana Foreign Minister
Simon took some risk of q misunder-
standing in France in accepting Musso-
ini's invitation, but even the critics
here admit that the visit to Rome was
justified by revealing q moderating dis
position on the part Of italy. It had
been assumed that Mussolini was COM
mitted to a policy Of exclusive friend
Iness to Germany and that he held the
belief that the necessity of revision of
the Versailles treaty did not exclude
the use of force. This, If true, meant
that Italy, in the words Of the London
Daily Telegraph, was falling into line
in a disastrous cleavage Of the nations
into rival blocs. This impression was
at the root of the general anxiety
v,f IN, no iy
Whatever the issue of the Mussolini
scheme, this fear has been sensibly
diminished by the Rome pourparlers,
which indicate that Italy Is not de-
sirous to see the fate Of Europe once
more subjected to an unstable balance
Of power and is anxious to cooperate
in forming q peace bloc, which, while
securing legitimate satisfaction Of the
German claims, would prevent the
tendency to q cleavage of Europe into
two armed camps.
Doubts were expressed in some
quarters as to whether the Mussolini
scheme was not an attempt to side
step the League of Nations, and French
comments revealed that country in the
unusual role of defending the League
against lukewarm friends, but Mac
Donald strongly repudiated this sus-
within the framework Of the League
and in the spirit Of the Kellogg anti
war pact.
Much stress Is laid ON the fact of
Italy's initiative in proposing q scheme
which, by definitely ruling out treaty
revision by force, opens the way to dis
cussions and adjustments by agreement.
This is most important in view of the
fact that in any revival of the balance
Of power" Italy would be expected to
be the only serious support that
Germany would have. This gives
Mussolini exceptional weight in the
counsels of Germany, and Chancellor
Hitler's cordial Endorsement OF the pro-
posal at Potsdam on Thursday Is
welcomed as evidence of the restraining
influence of Mussolini upon the Ger
man Fascist regime.
The attitude Of France at present Is
undeclared but her mood today is
eminently pacific and 1t Is argued by
friends Of the Mussolini scheme that
France has too direct an interest In the
removal Of the danger Of combina-
ton against her lightly to cast the
proposal aside.
The importance Of the idea lies In
the fact that the key to the problem Of
the restoration of Europe and the
establishment of stabilized peace lies
in the reconciliation Of France and
Germany, whose feud has nearly
wrecked civilization and, II maintained,
will inevitably complete the ruin. With
the pressure of Britain on France on
the one side and of Italy on Germany
on the other, there seems to be reason
able ground for hope that . reconcilia-
ton Is in sight.
The difficulties, Of course. are enor-
NOUS. The belligerency Of the new
regime in Germany and the danger Of
action in Polish Corridor and In
Austria are calculated to revive French
alarms, but AGussolini's gesture comes