Evening star., 1934-12-16
YUCOSLAVIA is TRIGGER
OF, EUROPE'S WAR.CUN
With Mussolini Looking Daggers Across
the Adriatic, Continent Wonders
if Peace Can Last.

Sforza in the early 20s. But moth.
ing has come from the expecta-
ton. Apparently Mussolini does not
want to ally himself definitely with
a group Of powers which he calls
the French system of alliances" He
seems to think that were he to CO.
ordinate his diplomacy with theirs
and take his share in the defense of
the peace treaties he necessarily would
have to play second fiddle to the
government Of Paris.
ii Duce's Policy Weakened.
AS consequence. II, Duce does his
best to set up an intermediate system
between Germany on the one side
and France and the Little Entente
on the other, with the help Of the
Hungarian "revisionism." Hence the
mandate over Austria that he more
or less covets. The weak point of
such combination is that since Hun
gary in truth is a close adherent,
and even an advance guard, Of the
pan-germanist policy, Italy's efforts
to keep the Danubian countries clear
Of Hitlerian influence are considerably
weakened. Besides, the situation in
Central Europe remains very uncer-
tain because Hitler never gives up
the hope Of reaching some kind Of
compromise with Rome through the
good offices of Budapest.
Moreover, because she feels she
may be hemmed in between three
Italian satellites-Austria, Hungary
and Albania-Yugoslavia Is becoming
more and more convinced that the
danger for her, at least in the i'm
mediate future, lies in Rome rather
than in Berlin.
If only Adolf Hitler could shift
the dreams of pan-germanist conquest
TO the northeast of Europe, against
Russia, no longer strive for the COL
onization Of the southeast, and aban-
don Hungarian connections, Yugo-.
slavia would be ready to come to
terms with him! If Italian troops
had invaded Austrian territory last
July after the murder of Chancellor
Dollfuss the Yugoslav Army would
have leaped forward, too. The Little
Entente will never agree to having
Austria transformed into an Italian
protectorate.
Such are the circumstances, already
very serious in themselves, which have
been aggravated to a tragic extent by
the murders at Marseille. For months
Yugoslav representatives in Geneva,
London and Paris have unremittingly
charged that there were relations be-
tween the Hungarian and Italian au-
| thorities and Croat terrorists, who,
they allege on the strength Of detailed
evidence, are being recruited, subsi-
died and trained with the formers
approval. Most of those terrorists are
criminal offenders and cannot possibly
be described as political refugees; let
us never forget, in addition, that the
Croats, whatever their grievances
against Belgrade, to man are hostile
to Italy. The terrorists are profes-
sional murderers who would never have
been gathered together and formed
into a coherent force without outside
help. 1t is even said that the "ORIM,"
or Macedonian revolutionary organiza-
ton, was asked to supply the assassin
who so thoroughly performed his task
in Marseille because in the Hungarian
camp OF Janka PusZta no really eff
cient man was available.
Frances Course.
Such are the charges upon which
the Council of the League of Nations
was asked to pass judgment. In the
light Of those allegations it Is not easy
to be optimistic. Unless Mussolini
should make up his mind to steer the
ship differently, unless he should
frankly recognize-to use the words of
French miniSter-that to attempt to
change single frontier post in the
Europe Of today would be tantamount
to plungirg the continent into the
abyss of war, the most deplorable de-
velopments may occur.
Would it be possible for France to
let the Little Entente and Yugoslavia
go to their fate and, meanwhile, re-
gain the good will and assistance OF
Italy? From time to time it is hinted
that France might do so; but such pos
sibilities do not Withstand examina-
ton. Were France to follow such
course, not only the Little Entente,
but the whole Slavonic world Gnclud-
ing Russia) would throw itself into the
arms of Germany, which thus would
have the opportunity to rebuild on q
huge scale the territorial and political
structure called "Mitteleuropa. France
would have to live side by side with
Hitlerian empire Of overpowering
might.
But would Italy then be willing to
enter into some sort of alliance with
the French Republic? The odds are
that she would be impressed by the
weakness Of the French position and
would be reinforced in her natural
tendency to play a game of bargain
ing between the Western powers and
Central Europel