Evening star., 1934-10-07
NATIONS UNABLE TO JOIN
INPACT TO AID AUSTRIA
Unless Government Is Helped by For.
eign Powers, Anschluss With Germany
Cannot Be Avoided, Observer Says.

Va hCd6 OC 4CL1Ad4lACA ~
barred the way to precisely the kind
of operation which Germany attempt
ed in Austria and Japan executed in
Manchuria. The collapse OF the
League, however, left the French with
out any means of action. They could
not invoke international and collective
pressure upon Germany-they had to
resort to force themselves or stand
aside.
Alliances Disintegrate.
They have stood aside because they
were unable to enlist either British
or American support. Now that the
League has become ineffective and
the French remain unready to fight,
they are condemned to watch the dis
integration of their system of alli-
ances. For the moment, they can
support Italy against Germany in the
Austrian issue, but that means driv-
ing Yugoslavia to Berlin and destroy
ing the Little Entente. With Poland
and Yugoslavia gone, too, there is
nothing very useful left of their old
system of alliances.
Obviously the French will pay al
most any price today to have Italian
support in the Saar. That is the point
at which MuSSolini can still play his
old game of nothing for nothing" 4"
If France can keep the Saar in its
present situation-that is, a practical
mandate of the League-it will win
a victory, both politically and eco
nomically, of colossal proportions.
But it will also have to abandon any
hope of permanent peace with Ger
many, If indeed there is any founda-
ton for such hope. In all the
operations in Geneva, however, France
will need Italian help. The price for
that help will undoubtedly be the
withdrawal of French support to
Yugoslavia against Italy.
What has happened in Europe in
the past few months is rather like
what occurs at the break" in a game
of pool. The cue ball has been shot
against the others and they have as
a result separated and gone in various
directions. A wholly new set of COM
binations therefore exists. The mur-
der of Dollfuss in July constituted the
break" 1t put an end to the pos
sibility of German-Italian combina-
tion, it brought Berlin and Rome into
direct collision in Vienna. France,
therefore, found herself in a situation
in which she could at last be assured
of Italian support against Germany,
but she was forced to choose between
Italy and the Little Entente.
Moscow Alienated.
The same thing happened in the
case of Poland. Hitlers arrival broke
all bonds between Moscow and Berlin.
France could now have Soviet support
against Germany. But in such a sit
uation Poland was bound to become
restive and turn to Berlin. To insure
close association with the Soviet Union
and with Italy, France had therefore
to weaken her partnership with Po-
land and with Yugoslavia. That was
what Mussolini proposed as early as
March, 1888, and, although France re-
jected the proposal at the time because
of the protests of Warsaw and Bel
grade. she has finally come around
to it.
France, Russia and Italy are, there
fore, more or less in accord and to a
certain extent united in the common
purpose to maintain Austrian inde-
pendence. They have the benevolent
approval of Britain in their enter
prise, but they will get no real help
from London. The British are more
or less panic-stricken by the new de-
velopments on the continent and pas
sionately eager to keep out Of mess
which gets more complicated all the
time. But can this new Triple Entente
of France, Italy and the Soviet Union
permanently hold Germany back?
At least it is exceedingly doubtful.
1t may avail to keep Germany back
until the economic circumstances of
the Reich lead to Hitler's downfall
If that should take place the partner
ship would be bound to break up.
MuSSolini would resume his old at
tempt to come to terms with Berlin
and thus to play the balance of power
role between France and Germany.
All then would turn on the extent
of German prostration. If Germany
were again helpless, her new rulers
might necessarily go back to the Lo-
carno precedent and make a truce
with the French. Otherwise they
might welcome the German gesture.
In short, the European situation
has become too complicated to war
rant forecast or to permit compre-
hension. Almost anything may hap
pen in the coming year, but nothing
is likely to happen before the Saar
plebiscite. The rise of Hitler, the
disappearance of the League of Ma
tions, the disintegration of the French
system of alliances, these things to-
gether have produced a new situation
with innumerable implications and
possibilities. 1t is chess board fas-
cinating to watch. Can the United
States maintain the role of observer? ?
(Copyright. 1934)