The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-12

F1rSt lime In ~ / ears
EOREIGN Minister Of
L France, Louis Barthou, de-
spite his age, has been an
agile diplomatic travelling
salesman for French imperial
ism. He recently returned
from Great Britain where he
met secretly with that epitome of
RIGHTEOUSNESS and hypocrisy, Sir
John Simon, British foreign
minister
Now Barthou's scurrying over
the map of Europe is motiyated by
the extremely rapid development
of the war danger, and the still
more rapid shifting of imperialist
alliances. The main aim of French
Imperialism is to keep intact the
spoilS of the Versailles treaty, to
stave off the re-division of the inn
perialist world, towards which every
explosive factor Of capitalism today
is driving. Does this make Barthou
an agent of peace? OF course, not.
French imperialism is arming as
rapidly, if not more so, than the
other imperialist bandits.
DUT because German fascism and
" Italian fascism are preparing for
war to force re-division Of
European and Asiatic spoilS, which
if achieved would be unfavorable to
French Imperialism, Monsieur Bar
thou. goes painting all over Europe
to utilize the imperialist differences
to stave off this reshuffling of the
boundaries that grew out of the
last imperialist slaughter.
1t was for this reason that Bar
thou at Geneva was forced to sup
port the Soviet peace proposals and
security pact, and to come into a
head-on collision with the same Sir
John Simon with whom he recently
conferred on more friendly terms.
Barthou's bitter sallies against
Sir John at the Geneva Disartna-
ment meet took place before the
Hitler butchery in Germany. Much
blood has flown under the diplo-
matte bridges since that time.
British imperialism which supports
German Fascism arming especially
for war against the Soviet Union
now finds that its plans have not
been going smoothly, and it is be-
coming more difficult to provoke the
war of Fascist civilization" against
Bolshevist "barbarism."
THE net result of the Hitler butch
L cry has been to isolate German
fssciSm more severely internation-
ally, due chiefly to the sharpening
of imperialist conflicts over failure
to pay foreign debts. At the same
time, Hitler and Hess are forced to
whip up chauvinist war feeling
against France. in order to find
'culprit" for the imaginary plot
which was used as the justification
for the slaughters.
Barthou, evidently, judging from
comments in the French press, was
able to put temporary brake on
British policy of supporting Ger
man and Italian fascism, without,
Of course, completely rupturing this
alliance. In other words, the con-
tradictions are faring up higher,
becoming more complicated and
more difficult for the plans of all
the imperialist bandits.
There is constant shifting and
re-shifting of the imperialist ALI
ances, constant maneuvering for
the best position in face of the
rapidly onrushing imperialist war.
WHILE discussing the secret nego-
W tiations between British and
French imperialism it is well here
to bring out some facts not stressed
in the capitalist newspapers. While
! Hitler, Goering, Goebbels and Hess
accused France of plotting" with
Roehm and Co., it is just as we'll
to bring up the plottings of British
imperialism with Hitler.
When the butchery of the Storm
Troop leaders was in preparation
it must be remembered that a
secret delegation of the German
Fascists were in London discussing
] the debt moratorium. At the time
OF the slaughters Herr Hjalmar
Schact, president of the Reichsbank,
had mysteriously disappeared, and
it is not at all unlikely that he was
in London. 1t is further a fact
that it was just after Hitler's agents
arrived at an agreement with the
British bankers and government Of
ficials to pay the British bondhold-
ers OF the Young and Dawes loans
that the slaughters took place. Was
this part of the agreements 1t is
known that Sir Henri Deterding.
Millionaire oil magnate and head Of
4 the British Dutch Shell Oil CO.
was frequent contributor to Hit
ler's war funds before he came to
power, and is one of the chief in
stigators of the anti-Soviet war
front.
IN OTHER words, if there was any
"pl 7gs" with foreign powers,
it VIC | two ways, with France on
the one hand and with British i'm
perialism on the other.
We know also, that on June Dist,
that is nine days before the whole
sale butcheries took place in Ger
many a big fleet of British battle
ships visited the Swinemuende in
Germany. This was the first visit
of the British fleet to Germany in
20 years. The British officers were
enthusiastically received by the
Nazis, and were RECALLED with the
singing of the Fascist song "Horst
Vessel" der Angriff," one of the