Evening star., 1934-02-25
Continued From First Page.)


from France to Germany. Therefore,
Hitler strives to impress upon the
French people the peacefulness OF his
designs. With that end in view, he
declares Germany is willing to sub
nit its army to some 1l-deflned form
of international control and to pledge
itself not to attack its neighbors fol
a decade. No competent observer be-
lieves that in a country endowed
with such q dictatorial government
as Hitler's-a government where there
Is no Parliament, where the govern
ment's deeds and misdeeds are kept
strictly in the dark-any international
control, however rigorous, could per-
form It's task.
Three Sets of GUARANTEES.
As things are today, France relies
on three sets of international guar
antics: First, the covenant of the
League of Nations; second, the Kel-
logg-Briand pact Of August 27, 1928,
outlawing war; third, the treaties Of
1,ocarno. The general treaty of arbi-
tration signed in 1928 has never
been ratified and in consequence
needs not to be put into the picture.
Let us try to ascertain the various
flaws which make these three diplo-
matte instruments of doubtful value
as far as French security is con-
cerned: then we shall be able to dis
cover if the proposed pacts OF non
aggression could really improve them,
/. The Leagues covenant.-The es-
sential observation to record Is that
in today's circumstances no less than
four great powers out of seven stand
outside the Geneva institution (while
at least two of them are openly hos
tile to it): the United States, Soviet
Russia, Japan and Germany. know
that in virtue of article II those
outside powers ought to be induced
If war is threatened to submit to the
peaceful procedures devised in Gene
va. But who can sincerely believe
that, for example, Germany and ia
pan, which broke loose from Geneva
SO as to move more freely in interna-
tional affairs, would agree to saddle
themselves with those very obliga-
tions which last year they found good
reason to repudiate?
But, assuming that they would be
willing to send delegates to Geneva
at time of crisis, the maximum re-
suit to be expected would be a delay
of hostilities for about nine months.
As it stands, the Leagues covenant,
mind you, does not absolutely exclude
warfare. 1t is content to make armed
conflict unlawful until the League S
Council has exhausted the procedure
of peaceful settlement" indicated In
article l5. II no unanin1ity obtains
among the members of the Council
(the parties to the conflict being ex-
cluded from the vote) or even II one
of the parties refuses to accept the
unanimous recommendation OF the
Council, arms may be resorted to.
In the latter case the state men,
bers of the League are bound not 70
take sides against the nation which
expressed its willingness to fall in
with the Councils recommendations
that is all. Such is the great gap
In the League covenant-the gap
which opens into warfare.
z. The treaties of Locarno, signed
on October 16, 1925.-The principal
one of them, the so-called Rhineland
ract, essentially consists of pledge
by England and Italy (the guaran-
tors) to prevent any change OF the
Franco-German and of the Belgian
German frontiers and to maintain
unaltered the "demilitarization" OF
the left bank of the Rhine and of the
5O-kilometer radius on the right bank
as provided for in articles AZ and Al
of the treaty of Versailles, In that
arrangement these are the weak
spots: The guarantors have prom
ised to intervene Immediately with
all the material forces at their dis
posal in case a hagrant violation OF
articles AZ and 43 is brought to their
notice, but they have reserved the
right to decide for themselves wheth-
er the fragrant violation" Of the de-
r7ilitarized zone has been provoked
or unprovoked by the other party
and whether their immediate inter
Tention is or is not necessary.
Moreover, under article 4 OF tht
Rhineland pact they are at liberty u
refer the whole case to the League
Council and to ask it for a recommen-
darion a course Of action more likely
than not 10 end in futility, as all
the chances are that the Council ltsell
would divide into two camps and
therefore. automatically release any
one concerned from all obligations.
But a more general criticism OF the
Rhineland pact and of the other
Locarno treaties can be advanced
Whereas, the guarantors, England and
Italy, are expected to behave as UNI
pires between France and Belgium on
the one side and Germany on the
other, whereas they cannot presume in
advance the guilt Of France and Bel
gium or the guilt Of Germany, they
are barred from making in advance
military preparations of any kind
But is II not a well recognized fact
that a military Intervention can hard
ly prove efficient and adequate unless
1t has been worked out beforehand In
e-ery detail? The truth is that on
The day of reckoning both guarantors
even if they were willing to send theil
Il OOPS at once to the rescue OF the
acgrieved party, would realize theil
nclplessness and conclude that they
had better refrain from interfering.
OF equal importance is the following
point: The treaties Of Locarno were
devised mainly to make more effective
IN the Franco-German and German
Belgian frontiers, the system of inter.
n tional peace embodied in the
Leagues covenant. AS shown by the
above explanation, don't believe that
they can really be credited with that
achievement. But, Notwithstanding
some high resounding phrases in the
pccamble of the treaties of arbitration
bc.ween Germany and Poland and
Germany and Czechoslovakia, they dc
not protect at all, even inadequately
the German-Polish and German
Czechoslovakian frontiers. Here there
are no guarantors, not even helpless
Cnes.
The above mentioned preambles
which exclude all changes of frontiers
Brought about by the employment OF
fierce, do not by themselves constitute
iIridica1 ohlioot films thew do nothing