Evening star., 1934-02-12
For Rescue of Austria.

Last week, when events in Paris
seemed 10 be plunging toward a
catastrophe, reports spread across
Europe that Germany, taking ad-
vantage of political chaos in France,
would seize the opportunity to force
the Nazifcation of Austria from
either within or without.
The new Doumergue government
has moved swiftly and significantly
to counteract these reputed plans.
The premier has set up a four-man
directorate" headed by himself and
including vice Premiers Tardieu and
Herriot and Foreign Minister Bar
thou for the purpose of handling
vigorously foreign affairs in general,
and the possibility of German union
with Austria in particular.
To the end Of frustrating the
Austrian plan, Premier Doumergue
and his colleagues seek to pledge
Premier Mussolini of Italy and the
Little Entente -Czechoslovakia,
Rumania and Yugoslavia-to join
France for strong support Of Chan
oellor DollfusS' tottering regime and
for a general solution of the Central
European situation. The Doumergue
cabinet considers the continuance of
Austrian independence a more urgent
matter than disarmament, debts or
import quotas.
The French plans for concerted
European action to preserve Austria
are complicated by Great Britain's
reluctance TO join in them. The
British government does not sympa-
taaize with the idea of German ab-
sorption OF the former Hapsburg
State. but prefers that any steps to
protect Austria should be taken by
the League Of Nations. The Austrian
government has just been rather
curtly informed that as long as
Chancellor Dollfuss had seen fit to
appeal to Geneva, Britain could not
properly take a stand ON the subject
pending It's consideration by the
League Council"
The apparent readiness Of the new
government Of France to go to the
defense Of Austria independently Of
the League may be motivated by
various purposes. II sincerely desir-
ous Of preserving Austria before it is
too late, Premier Doumergue may be
conscious, based on the Leagues rec
ord for pusillanirnity, that Chancellor
Dollfuss' hopes for salvation at Cen
eva's hands are doomed to be tlu-
sorry. Or the Dounergue cabinet,
convinced that the French people de-
mand abandonment Of vacillating
policy toward the Reich, may have
decided that Austria's undoubtedly
acute danger supplies the opportunity
for initiating strong" German pol
Icy.
NaH Germany makes little secret
Of It's contempt for what Vice Chan
cellor Goering yesterday called "the
pigmy government" of Austria, but
the NaEis would hardly dare to chal-
lenge the array Of force which the
French would now mobilize to safe
guard Austrian independence. The
day may come, as most students Of
European politics think it will, when
the Hitler Reich will fight to create
the new and greater Germany, but it
Is not ready to resort to the extreme
Of war today for the accomplishment
Of its far-fiung ambitions.
Meantime, the fate Of helpless Aus
trda Is obviously in the balance. Nazi
penetration has honeyeombed Doll
fuss realm through and through. If
his powerful friends in Paris, Rome
and Prague are unwilling to come to
Austria's rescue, Nazification seems
only a matter of time. The new
masters Of France apparently think
not a moment is to be lost if that
fate 10 to be averted..
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