Evening star., 1934-04-22
LONDON AND PARIS HOLD
SOLUTION OF, NEW CRISIS
Prospects for Peace Depend Upon De-
cision Reached in Relations of
Two Countries.

Eevident that the British are pro-
foundly disturbed by the present un-
rest in France and the unnistakable
symptoms of domestic upheaval Thus
to insist upon French recognition Of
Germany's right to parity in arma-
mentS, without undertaking some new
| responsibility for French security,
might bring the Doumergue regime
down in a heap.
Undoubtedly both the British and
the French will be anxious to know
what the United States would do if
1t were necessary to resort to economic
| sanctions or even naval blockade
against Germany which had violated
her limitation agreement. But here
the situation is obscure. Although
President Roosevelt pledged his ad-
mlnlstration. through Norman H.
Davis, to interpret American neutral
rights in such fashion as not to ham,
per collective action against an ag-
gresSor, ne said nothing about his
| probable course If action we're taken
not because of aggression but on ac-
count of violation of armament prom
1ses and he made all friendly action
contingent upon material reduction of
armaments.
Now considerable reduction Is ont
OF the question. The British govern
ment continues to harp upon it be-
cause 1t Is going TO face an aroused
opposition in a general election be-
lore long and will then have to de-
lend Itself against the charge that it
1alleo TO press for reduction sufi-
GENTLY hard. But, as Mussolini has
already indicated in the Italian pro-
posal. the maximum possible now is
limitation at the present level for
the armed nations and rearmament
up TO the French level by the Ger
mans. To be sure the pace Of Ger
man rearmament might be reduced
little, but that is ALL
Naval Arms Question Remains.
To the very end, however, the
British government will persist in
demanding reduction and seize upon
any elimination of obsolete weapons
which might take place as material
for domestic political use. This is
Just so much eyewaSh. All that re-
mains posSible-and it is only Just
possible and no more-is that the end
Of the unlucky disarmament confer
ence will see all the armed nations
keeping their present weapons
which, by the way, have been largely
increased since the conference opened
more than two years ago-and the
disarmed nations, beginning with
Germany, rearming to fixed levels.
1t should be recalled, however, that
the whole question of naval arma-
ments remains to be settled next year.
Thus, as Germany is now demanding
parity with France on land and
Italy on sea, Japan has indicated her
purpose to insist upon parity with
Britain and the United States on the
water. And the German precedent
is going to prove very useful to the
japanese when the next naval con-
ference assemblies.
In any event Germany is going to
arm. Inevitably the rearmament-
accompanied as it must be by all
sorts of explosive Nazi propaganda
foreshadowing the eventual and
forcible annexation of territories to-
day belonging to Germanys neigh
bors-is going to keep Europe in a
state of suspense and anxiety. That
suspense would perhaps be lessened
materially if there we're a substan-
tial agreement between London and
Paris, and to any such agreement
Rome would be bound to give a
measure of assent. But it would
hardl be abolished unless there we're
some general agreement between
London. Paris. Rome and Moscow,
insuring joint opposition to any Ger
man aggression on any side.
London and Paris Closer.
In the long run such an agreement
is not out of the question, although
it could only be insured by common
fear of German purposes. Above all.
it could not come about unless British
fears were far more acute than they
are today. Nevertheless one must
note that German policy so far has
succeeded in alternating Britain,
bringing London and Paris closer to-
gether, forcing Italy to mount guard
upon the Danube and utterly de-
molishing the old understanding be-
tween Berlin and Moscow.
Thus what the Nazi regime is
creating is something of the same
coalition of great powers which over
threw Napoleon and stood guard upon
the territorial settlements Of the
Congress of Vienna for more than 40
years. Britain is concerned by Ger
man projects in the air, on the sea
and in Belgium and Holland; France
by German land armamentS and ter
ritorial proposals in Belgium and the
Rhineland. as we'll as Switzerland.
Italy has already intervened to block
German purposes on the Danube and
Soviet Russia Is aroused by Hftler's
intentions regarding the Ukraine.
Not enough has happened yet to
bring about any close association of
these four great powers. In fact they
are still widely separated over many
issues. Nevertheless London and Paris
are drawing daily together. Moscow
and Paris have reached a viable basis
of relations. The action taken by Italy
in Austria neceSsitates friendher
attitude on the part of Rome toward
Paris. All depends, however, upon
whether the British and the French
do reach a formal agreement in the
next few weeks over armaments and
gurantees. If that agreement is
reached long step toward real en-
circlement of Germany will have been
taken and Hitler's foreign policy will
have ended in disaster on all land
fronts and on the sea as well. But
today. as at all times since Hitler
arrived, the key of the continental
situation is in London, while the lock
Is in Paris.
Understanding Sketched.
All of these developments are, how
ever. basically unfortunate for the
League of Nations tor all point in the
direction of return to the old bal
ance of power, maintained by the
common action of the great powers.
which feel themselves equally menaced
hxyf he etr h,,