Evening star., 1933-05-14
BY SIR PHILIP GIBBS.


other countries of Europe there
Is great deal Of ominous talk
IL about the inevitability Of an
other war Recently, when Hit
ler's Nazis began their campaign Of
brutality and intolerance. taking their
leader at his word-the flaming slogans
of his election speeches-there was
something like a panic in Paris.
Many people left the city, scared by
a nightmare fear Of bombs and poison
gas. The French press did not dis
guise its anxiety. Even serious and in
telligent men in touch with the govern
nent and foreign Office talked in low
cred voices OF the possibility Of war, as
though it were imminent. A friend
Of mine was informed by important
people that it might happen-God help
usl-in Is days.
Those Is days are now expired Per-
sonally I was not worrying Such an
idea seemed to me over the border line
of human reason. But I know now the
basis of this internal scare. 1t was the
fear that bands of Nals, inflamed by
their political triumph. might cross the
Polish corridor, seize DanZig, and carry
the sign Of the crooked cross-the swa-
stika-into territory where German
armed forces are forbidden by the peace
treaties.
If that had happened, 1t is possible.
probable, that French troops would
have been ordered to reoccupy positions
in the Rhineland and to give whatever
support was necessary to Poland
against armed raiders. Gen. Weygand
had his plans ready for such even
Qualities.
Too Wise TO Risk War.
All that admit, would have been as
grave a situation as the events which
preceded the World War 10 years ago.
But I am convinced personally that II
such raids had occurred they would
have been recalled instantly with suit
able apologies by the German govern
ment.
Hitler and his confederates may be
little mad, as their enemies assert,
but they are not SO mad as to risk
war with France and Poland in their
present state of armed inferiority and
unpreparedness They will not be ready
for any adventure of that kind in IS
months, to say nothing of IS days.
1t is perfectly true Germany would
put a well trained army into the field
tomorrow morning Before the advent
of Hitler to power there were four
armies in Germany. not negligible in
fighting strength for revolutionary pur-
poses.
There was the Reichswehr Of 100 900
men, which maintained the structure Of
the old imperial army. each man being
an instructor of new levies. There was
the Reichsbanner of 220 900 men,
pledged to republic which has now
been denounced. There was the Stahl-
helm-all war veterans and highly
trained. amounting to 100000. There
were the Nazi storm troops. in Numbers
unknown but certainly amounting to
| nearly a million young athletes, phys
ically fit. intensively drilled and fanat-
ical in allegiance to Hitler, the SPELL
binder.
For the time being all these forces
have united, with apparent loyalty to
the Fascist idea, which has fired the
whole nation. with the exception of
silent and suppressed minorities. The
German nation is therefore not lacking
in man power or military training. But
it is lacking in heavy artillery, military
airplanes. tanks and other material of
war without which conflict with
France and Poland would be hopeless
from the start.
There are people who doubt this,
especially in France. They believe Ger
many has secret armament factories
within her own frontiers and in Russia.
That may be. There may be heavy
stocks of rifles and machine guns
available for storm detachments and
civil war-but not heavy artillery and
that enormous mass of mechanism and
explosive power needed for war beyond
] the frontier.
Saw Plants Smashed.
| Before the end of the last war the
German war machine had disintegrated.
I saw its last material abandoned and
destroyed. Under allied supervision the
plant which had produced the big guns
and all other weapons was smashed in
acres Of factories in Essen and else
where, and with my own eyes I saw
that work in progress. I doubt whether
that mechanism can be reconstructed
secretly and hurriedly.
Some time ago I was informed by a
German authority, speaking off guard,
that it would take two years intensive
labor to recreate the instruments for
production of new war machine. 1t
would also take thousands of millions
Of German marks not yet available in
naticn with fifteen million people
destitute and its credit at low ebb.
| Supposing Europe has two years re-
spite before anxiety need be sharpened