Evening star., 1934-02-02
Rearmament for Germany.

Rearmament for Germany.
Obviously as much with a view to
rehabilitating the shell shocked
League Of Nations as to promote the
cause of disarmament, Great Britain
and Italy have simultaneously pro-
duced new projects designed to rec
oncile the arms differences which
separate France and Germany, Each
plan calls for Germany's return to
the League. which she bolted in anger
last year because Geneva was not pre-
pared to acquiesce outright in the
Reich's demand for equality"
Frances rejection Of Germany's offer
Of non aggression pacts does not sug-
gest much hope for agreement on
ornaments.
To coax the Germans into line
again, both the British and the Ital-
ians hold out tempting bait. The
British would raise the army total Of
100000 offered the Reich under the
old Macdonald plan, by some $4,000,
while the Italians favor giving Herr
Hitler the full 100000 army strength
he seeks, or thrice the footing per-
mitted Germany by the treaty of Ver-
sailles
As concession to the French for
the increase in the German army
Great Britain suggests a willingness
to consult with Paris in the event of
any violation of new arms pact-a
recognition of the French demand
for security The British base their
proposals on the thesis that arms
of the kind permitted to one state
cannot indefinitely be denied to the
other This is a far reaching &C
acknowledgement of Germany's conten-
ton for ''equa lity," but in the same
breath the British project a thought
less palatable to the Reich. namely,
the necessity for strict arms control
system, and the inescapable duty" of
the signatories to any disarmament
convention to prevent or remedy any
violation thereof
Both Britain and Italy submit de-
tailed plans for permitting Germany
to rearm with weapons now for
hidden her-field artillery, tanks,
fighting planes and other not purely
defensive weapons. The Italians
make a strong bid for French sup
port of their proposals by suggesting
the continuance of her present arma-
ments as the best means of safeguard
ing Frances security" Perhaps by
this gesture Premier Mussolini hopes
to win Frances approval of the
Italian theory that II Duce's own
creation, the four-power pact, is "a
further guarantee of peace'-and one
which the Fascist dictator unblush-
ingly holds to be more potent
agency than the League.
The British and the Italian pro-
posals alike would pledge all the
European powers progre ssively to dis
arm and to hold their ornaments to
the present level. Italy advocates an
all-embracing six-year convention,
which would include the abolition of
chemical warfare.
France has lost no time in throwing
cold water on these various sugges-
tions, though leaving the door open
for future conversations. In a note
published last night, the French
charge that the Hitler program would
lead directly to an armaments race
and thus run counter to the basic
purposes Europe is striving to achieve.
The French join the British and Ital-
ians in strong appeal to the Reich
to return to the League Of Nations
for international collaboration. A
solution OF Franco-German problems,
the French contend. is impossible to
envisage" outside the framework of
Geneva, because the arms problem is
essentially European in nature"
So the old controversy "over there"
takes its tortuous course. 1t would
be sunny optimist who could discern
in these latest exchanges between
London. Rome, Paris and Berlin any
real hope of evolving a compromise
even approximately agreeable to all
the rival interests concerned. One
thing is sure-until there is q will
to do so the way Is not going to be
found.