Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-04-19
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS REVIEW
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tion of which she fears she will be
deprived i'm case of disarmament
being agreed upon. Great Britain has
been consistently averse to pledge any
support of this kind, but during the
last few days it is pretty broadly
limited from London that if the French
government will specify it's demands,
they will be taken up for thorough
consideration. That hint, obviously,
is not a binding promise to enter into
any alliance for the sake of France,
but it affords a foundation for con-
tinued negotiations along these lines.
Mussolini Willing.
Less wavering than are the British
statesmen in regard to this matter,
Prime Minister Benito Mussolini has
declared himself in favor of some
for the sake of France; he says that
the Italian government is willing to
sign reasonable guarantees" in the
firm belief that by doing SO it will
actually help the disarmament cause
few steps forward; Mussolini real
ICES that French stubbornness in this
matter is one of the principal OBJ
structiOnS to the success of the dis
armament efforts, and he wants that
eliminated.
OF course, MuSsolini is not excess
sively certain that disarmament can
be carried out under the auspices of
the League of Nations (sponsor of
the conference), but feels that a con-
ference of the great powers could
settle the matter effectively and en-
duringly. But he is willing, it seems,
to give the League another chance"
and feels that for the purpose of
facilitating matters some attention
should be paid to the French guaran-
tee demands.
German Army.
Thus it may be that one of the
enormous difficulties which have pre-
vented wholehearted French cooper
alton will vanish-although it GER
tainly would be premature to say posi-
lively that that will be the case.
But even if it is, there is still the
question of German rearmament. AS
will be recalled, Germany insists upon
the right to expand her army from
the 100000 men permitted by the YER
sailles Peace Treaty to 100000, on
the ground that the other signerS of
the treaty so far have not kept their
70 al tori nf
ornaments. The German principle
has been, more or less definitely, re-
cognized by Great Britain and Italy,
but France has steadfastly refused
to accede to it.
A few days ago the foreign min
information about the $50 million dol
ars increase in the military budget of
Germany, and then instructed the
British ambassador at Berlin to find
out what it all meant.
Subterfuge.
AS a matter of literal truth, the
German reply to the inquiry was
faultless, for it asserted that the Yer
sailles Peace Treaty, limiting the size
of the German army, says nothing
about the amounts which Germany
may spend for military purposes. The
treaty actually says nothing about it.
But the reply is, after all, merely
subterfuge since it must be clear that
increasing military expenditures are
due to increasing military prepare
tions. So, the reply deceives nobody.
Aside from this, however, the Ger
man attitude must be considered JUS
titled because the victors of the World
war actually did pledge themselves
to begin disarmament as soon as the
German army had been reduced to its