Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-12-03
BY FRANK II. SIMONDS.


TINE latest adjournment of the
unhappy Disarmament Confer
ence - this time significantly
l. described as a suspension >
was explained by the rather
naive announcement that it had been
found impossible to proceed because of
the political differences which barred
the way. When one considers that pre-
cisely these difficulties existed at the
moment the conference was formally
summoned two years ago it is fair to
ask why they were not dealt with first.
For from the very outset, as every eX-
perienced observer pointed out at that
time disarmament was unthinkable
while France and Germany confronted
each other, one demanding security be-
fore disarmament and the other parity
in ornaments without condition.
After two years it is now confessed
that nothing can happen until there is
a preliminary adjustment between Paris
and Berlin. But meantime the contro-
versieS provoked by the Disarmament
Conference have bankrupted the slight
remaining credit of the League of Ma
tons and set Europe and the whole
world by the ears. Now at last it is
admitted that in the present European
crisis the League can do nothing. But
II the League can do nothing to ADJUST
a situation out of which every one
admits war might come, what Is the
use of the League itself?
Mussolini has answered the question
by saying publicly that Geneva has
become an absurdity. Hitler with even
greater justice has proclaimed German
purpose never to return to the League
because 1t has become a positive peril
to peace in the world-a peril because
it is no more than place where 1rrec-
oncilable national purposes are brought
into open collision under circumstances
which insure a maximum of disturb
ance in international relations every
where.
Other Withdrawals Seen.
But II four Of the seven great powers
namely the United States, Soviet
Russia. Japan and Germany-are al
ready out of the League and fifth,
Italy, through Its dictator has now
pronounced Geneva an absurdity and
foreshadowed withdrawal, then it is
obvious that with only France ana
Britain present, the League cannot act
with authority and has ceased 70 De
representative. And II and when Italy
withdraws one may safely count on
Aock of smaller nations. both European
and South American. following suit
In sum. for all practical purposes the
experiment in internationallsm which
the League represented has failed and
is over for all present time. Nations
are now going back to old-fashioned
diplomacy. the new method OF confer
ences, under the shadow of the League,
having ended disastrously. Any one who
is interested in historical parallels Will,
too. find the same thing happened after
1915. For a time Europe broke out in
a rash of conferences. the first spec
tacular and splendid. the later progress
sively less significant until. with the
death of Castlereagh. Britain withdre"
from such performances altogether.
Now Mussolini has come forward
with the only possible substitute,
namely. private meetings between the
statesmen of great powers to deal with
specific issues France, Germany, Brl-
tain and Italy are to talk and agree,
not upon systems of permanent peace
but upon compromises to avoid the
danger of immediate collision. The
whole idea of an international author
ity vested in the League has gone
west" its basic fallacy having been
completely exposed. That basic fall
lacy, too was the assumption that any
country would surrender It's sovereignty
or subordinate its policy to an inter-
national organization.
What is Just taking form in Europe
is a new method of dealing with IN
ternational differences which is in fact
the traditional method. 1t may WorR
or it may fail, but If it works 1t will
not go beyond the limits Of establish
ing truces in quarrels between peoples
who for the time being are unwilling
or unready to fight but. looking to the
future. have no intention of abandon
ing their national ambitions and aSpira-
tions. On such a basis bargains are
possible, bargains which will last just
as long as they are mutually advantage
Gus.
Thus Hitler,s Germany has just
. made a deal with the Poles which nc
Republican government in the Reich
in recent years would have dared &c
make because the German people
would have seen in such bargain made
by Stresemann or Bruening a f1nal
acceptance of the Polish Corridor. But
every German knows Hitler has nc
intention of renouncing permanently
his advertised purpose to recover
Bromberg and Kattowitz as well as
Danzig. They also know, every last
German of them, that today an ad-
venture in the East would mean an
other lost war on the Rhine, the
Elbe and the Vistula.
Poles Know They Must Fight.
As a consequence Germany offers
Poland a truce, during which trade re-
lations can prosper and the danger Of
immediate hostilities resulting from
border incidents and minority dis
turbances can be abolished. The Poles
know perfectly we'll that to keep the
Corridor and Upper Silesia they will
one day have to fight. But they are
not able alone to make a war of pre-
vention and the French won't help
them to force such conflict. The
common sense thing to do then is tt
settle down to making the best of a
temporary truce and at the same time
to prepare industriously for the in
evitable war.
The same Is true about Hitler:
recent gesture to the French in the
matter Of Alsace-Lorraine. In view
of the present state Of French frontier
defenses and the relative strength Of
French and German military estab-
lishments it would be as easy for the
Germans to annex a couple Of planets