Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1933-02-23
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS REVIEW
CONTINUED from Page ~

Continued from rage ID
qualifications of the Japanese-Chinese
war: On very slight provocation
European and American powers may
find it desirable to create a situation
which can be posed as an effective
pretext for commitments. Statements
to the effect that other nations are
striving to localize the East Asiatic
conflict have merely a surface value.
Tension in Europe.
Additional tension has been created
in Europe because of the numerous
rumors of new alliances to which
reference was made last week. They
will not die, but persist. Especially
tenacious is the story of an alliance
between Germany, Italy and Hungary.
An announcement to the effect that
Adolf Hitler, German chancellor, will
call on Benito Mussolini, autocratic
prime minister of Italy, has not
served to ease diplomatic minds. and
the rumors of an alliance have found
new nourishment in this approaching
visit, scheduled to take place some
time in March.
There is, then-let's call it a re-
mote-possibility of an alignment
friendly, especially, to German claims.
To offset that, Roumania, Jugo-
slavia and CzechO-Slovakia-known
collectively, as the Little Entente
the other day in Geneva signed new
treaty which, in effect, renews for an
indefinite period their defensive alli-
ance and, i'm the field of economics
and foreign policy, results in the ac-
tual formation of confederation
comprising some so million people.
In this action the significance rests
upon the fact that all three powers
are under the sway of French in
fluence.
There is also detail of some i'm
portance i'm the circumstance that
France and Soviet Russia have rat
flied their new non-aggressiOn treaty
together with an increasing impress
sion that Russian friendship more and
more verges i'm the direction of
France than in that of Germany.
So, right now there seem to be two
consultations forming FREEDOM
inantly German, the other FREEDOM
inantly French. Ostensibly, the OBJ
jects to be attained are those of pa
cific diplomacy-but, you never can
tell what may develop from even the
most innocent-looking international
agreements!
No Progress.
A war approaching its climax in
Manchuria and Jehol; another war
in progress between Paraguay and
Bolivia; a third between Peru and
COlOmbia; rumors of menacing alli-
ances sweeping Europe-these things
are not conducive to the creation of a
favorable disarmament atmosphere.
And, as a matter of fact, the great
international Geneva conference for
the limitation and reduction of arms
seems to be idly marking time. In
cidentally, it is noteworthy that the
daily press i'm this and other cOun-
tries has been paying very scant at
tention to the conference which, after
a pause of half year, resumed its
deliberations at the beginning of this
month.
Interest in actual disarmament is
at the present moment very slight,
there is some reason to suspect that
it was always thus-in spite of high
sounding diplomatic prOtestations
Whatever taX-burdened and war-fear,
ing citizens of all countries may think
about it, it does seem to be fact that
the idea of disarmament has never
caused governmental enthusiasm
anywhere.
Eventful Days.
On March 4, new president of the
United States-Fr an k / in DelanC
Roosevelt, barely escaping murder the
other day-will be inaugurated. With
a great deal of anxious interest other
countries are awaiting his pronounce
ments on foreign policy-a field il
which he is an untried man; there
seems to be an expectancy of a gen
eral slackening of the present tension
| and feeling that his influence may
become a stabilizing factor. No one
knows. American foreign policy is
no longer an isolated affair-its shap
ing depends not only on the man il
| the White House, but on events hap
| pening abroad.
Parliamentary electiOns-and cleo
lions to the 'Prussian Diet-take place
throughout Germany on the day fol
lowing, that is, March 5. Chancellor
Hitler is trying to secure in the