Evening star., 1933-08-13
Germany Setting Teeth
of All Europe on Edge
BY A. G. GARDINER.

LONDON, August l2.-Germany Is
setting the teeth Of Europe on edge.
1t is three months since Herr Hitler,
in a speech long overdue, proclaimed
his desire to live in amity with all
nations and to cooperate in securing
the peace of the world. That umfor-
tunately has not prevented the occur
renee, week after week, OF Nazl DEM
onstrations shootings and kidnapings
on the frontiers, and it has not put an
end to the hectoring and marrying OF
Austria.
The display of the Prussian jack
boot and mailed fist in Germanys
treatment of her enfeebled and de-
fenseless neighbor is fast losing her
the friends remaining to her. Her
newspapers and radio stations day
after day have attacked Chancellor
Dollfuss of Austria and done their best
to empoison the Austrian people against
their rulers. Airplanes from Bavaria
dropping leaflets calling on the Aus
trians to rise against the government.
join themselves to the new Germany"
and share her glorious future.
In the face Of such provocations,
which are fast becoming world scam
dal, France, Great Britain and Italy,
who only lately signed with Germany
four power pact. decided to take &C
ton A week ago they separately made
representations to Berlin in Austria's S
behalf and now they have had their
several replies Premier Mussolini's
Ambassador to Berlin was informed
that Germany is ready to do her best
to prevent the incursion of airplanes
over Austrian territory and to use CEN
sorship to stop objectionable broadcast
ing. at the same time expressing dis
approval of the acts of terrorism COM
mitted against Austria.
When. however, the French and Brit
ish representatives at Berlin kept their
appointments at the foreign office to
make friendly representations identical
with those presented by Italy, they had
an unpleasantly different reception. the
German spokesman declared that his
government took the view that the four
power pact had nothing to do with the
case and that it was not guilty OF viola
ton of treaties, as suggested by the pro-
testing powers. Finally, he told the
astonished diplomats that attempted in
tervention between Germany and Aus
tria was inadmissible.
\
1t is plain that the intention was a
direct snub, which was the more gratul-
tous in view of the fact that Germany
had alreadv promised Italy to be on
her good behavior. The impression Gre
ated in London and Paris is not open
to doubt The foreign office here pre-
fers nevertheless to emphasize the value
Of the pledges given to Mussolini and to
delay referring the whole issue to the
Council of the League of Nations until
Germanys good faith is tested by
events. Premier Daladier of France,
who, somewhat unexpectedly, is prov
ing to be a cautious and prudent states
man. is likely to follow the same line.
In the meantime it cannot be said
that Germany's response inspires sub
stantial confidence in her peaceful in
tentions and many voices declare she
gives evidence of bad spirit that bodies
i'll for the future.
"An atmosphere Of anxiety and suspl-
cion has been created in Europe by the
rise to power of Hitler" said respon-
sible ofiicial here, which reminds us
inevitably of that existing in the period
between the Agadir crisis of 1911 and
the world calamity in 1914"
As if confirming the fears Of the pes
simists, an Austrian policeman was shot
on the Tyrol frontier Monday by Nazis
wearing German uniforms. 1t may be
urged that it is unfair to hold Germany
responsible for such outrages But
Thursdays papers reported that Wednes-
day night Munich radio station broad
cast another speech by the notorious
Habicht, Nazi inspector general for
Austria" grossly insulting the Austrian
chancellor It is increasingly difficult
to believe that after six months in power
the rulers of a so-called totalizarian
state are unable to put stop to such
breaches of international good manners.
Persistence in the present course could
have a single explanation. 1t would be
that the Hitlerites regard Austria as a
ripe plum ready to drop into the Ger
man lap and think they are able to
bring about by subversive propaganda
and the methods Of the bully, not the
"onschluss," which not so long ago
might have been agreed to by the Aus
trian people themselves, but the
"gleichschaltung," as a result of which
the Austrians would be gathered in de-
spite themselves as inhabitants OF q
new German province.
But France may still have word to
say about that. So may czechoslovakia'