Evening star., 1934-07-22
BY FRANK d. sIMONDs.

have no excuse for repeating
II IN 1884 the bunder which
thev made IN 1914 That
after ali il the basic fact about the
long series of recent conferences and
consultations between statesmen and
soldiers Of Britain and France Over
the press notices Of these meetings
should be printed the words Berlin
please note 90
Looking back tao decades 10 the
outbreak Of the World War Il will he
recalled that Il uas the mistaken con-
viction that Britain would stand aside
which IN the end determined German
statesmen 10 take the fatal risks Of
var Relying upon the apparent con-
fusion and hesitation existing in Lon
don the Germans first called upon
Belgium 70 allow German troops 10
pass over Belgian territory unresisted
on their way 10 Paris Then. when
refusal was encountered, they declared
war and attacked Lieee.
All who we're alive IN 1914 must re-
call tho Mortified exclamation of Beth
mann Hollweg You will make war
Just for scrap OF paper" when ne
was informed by the British Ambas-
sador IN Berlin that Britain meant TO
fulhll her treaty duty regarding Bel
gium Afterward, not only German
but neutral historians as well have
criticized the British for not speaking
clearly and Enthusiastically before It was
too late. Apparently the British have
taken the criticism to heart. for they
are leaving the Germans no doubt
now.
Britain Has Duties.
Today as 20 years ago the British
have certain duties First among
these is that Of defending the status
quo west Of the Rhine against any
aggression At the moment there is
danger OF aggression coming from
the German side As a consequence
the British cabinet has permitted
British soldiers to confer with French
TO arrange for technical co-opera-
tion. which means in plain English to
decide how and where the two armies
will cooperate against Germany in
case she undertakes military opera
tions west OF the Rhine.
In addition this British action. to-
Rether with similar consultations
which attented the recent week end
stay Of the French foreign minister
in London, has bestowed upon the
French clear proof that they have
no need to fear isolation in the pres
ence Of growing German danger
Such assurance, too. must serve TO
restrain the French from any imme-
diate resort to a war of prevention to
anticipate a German attack Salts
fed that II they are assailed they are
sure of the aid OF the British Army
and feet they can afford to wait and
thus to follow the same course they
did 90 years ago--the course which
put upon the Germans the RESPONSE
biltty for the war.
Hitler's End May BE Violent.
All of this moreover can mean but
one thing. Like everybody else the
British see that the Hitler regime is
entering its final stage. The single
question that remains is how long the
National Socialists can hang on. It
may be weeks. it may even be a few
months. but the end is now clearly in
view. That end may be violent 1t
may even take the form of a desperate
plunge into foreign war to avoid the
impending domestic upheaval. Thus
It Is Of utmost importance that the
fact should be made clear that such
a venture will encounter British as
well as French opposition.
Two factors must now work for the
downfall of Hitler. In the first place
f1aa nf tha YNnnnla a rn
now brought face to face with the
fact that in less than two years the
present regime has brought them
back to the conditions of the war.
The collapse of German foreign
trade, the breakdown of German
credit and the incidental arrival of
a crop failure due to drought have
combined to make it impossible for
the Germans TO feed themselves or
TO purchase abroad the foodStuffs and
essential raw materials necessary to
feed the population and supply in
dustry.
Now In State of Siege.
For all practical purposes Germany
Is now in a state of siege and con-
dition of blockade The Jewish boy
colt adds to the gravity of the sit
uation Moreover. there is nothing
that the government can do to relieve
the crisis. II has no financial re-
sources, no foreign credits. No coun-
try in the world is going to lift a
finger to aid Germany while Hitler re-
mains. Hitler himself oddly enough.
is now in the situation of the Kaiser
Is years ago, Just before the armiStice
At that time the notes of Woodrow
Wilson made 1t clear TO the German
people that one of the conditions Of
peace with the victorious enemy was
the abdication of William II. Now
It must soon become clear to the
German people that the price of any
form Of normal relations with the
outside world is the elimination of
Hitler To-day Germany is encircled
by armed and apprehenSive nations
for whom the present regime in Ger
many constitutes direct peril. In
the Rhineland France and Belgium
backed by Britain. are resolved to
defend the status quo In Austria
Italy and the nations Of the little en-
tente are similarly on guard In the
East Russia is alive 70 the danger.
That is the foreign aspect of the
German situation. Less than two
years after Hitler took Office, pledged
10 rescue Germany from her isolated
and humiliating position. the coun-
try finds itself IN an infinitely worse
position than it was then Before
the massacre OF June 30 there still
existed, notably in England belief
that ii was necessary TO make con-
ceSSlonS 10 the NaziS in order to
avoid clash Now in England as
everywhere else. there Is the convic-
t1On that concessions would only bol-
sJer up crumbling regime, whose
disappearance must be q gain for all
Hitler Has Lost Ground.
Consider Hitler at home. He has
lost irrevocably the elements in his
movement which constituted its driv-
ing force, the men who actually
brought him 70 power and believed
in his program. In purging his move
fnept of the radical leadership he has