Evening star., 1934-07-29
PEACE PROSPECTS
UNEVENNEUROPE
Powers Would Avoid Strife,
but Starhemberg Must
Crush Revolt.


tintles 10 be violently erTsgie En-
eouragsng news Of the morning fre-
quentiy is upset By gloomy reports in
the evening
II h beyond doubt that Great
Britain. France and italy want 70
maintain peace They are exercising
political pressure on Austrias most
belligerant neighbors. Czechosloyakia
and Yugoslavia. and have been 50 far
successful In calming the governments
in Prague and Belgrade. The French
government ID reported 20 have used
some strong language in Belgrade ami
has been backed by England
Consequently from the international
point OF view. the diagnosis should
be that peace viii be maintained.
The key to the situation Is In
Vienna The great problem is whether
Chancellor Won Starhemberg will be
able 10 crush the Nazi movement
without outside help--that is 70 say,
without the support Of the Italian
Army.
Opinions Are Varied.
On this subject the opinions differ
Prince Won Starhemberg is undoubted-
ly willing and brave man. His lack
of experience in handling such a deli
cate situation as exists today in Aus
tria may, however, doom his sincere
efforts.
The Nazis are much stronger In
Austria than generally is realized If
Starhemberg had at his disposal ade-
Quate forces, he might be able TO crush
the move by sheer force. But the
situation requires a careful handling,
using tact and clever politics along
with forcce.
Starhemberg is known to be strongly
backed by Mussolini. This makes
his position somewhat precarious In
Styria, Tyrol and Carinthia, the
strongholds Of the Austrian Nads. 1t
is uncertain upon how many Of his
250000 Heimwehr troops he can
actually rely. There may be defec-
tions.
The general opinion is that he can
count on the loyalty of some rs per
cent of his men. And that is not
enough.
Outside the actual Nazis. whose
number is not exactly known. Star
hemberg may meet with the opposition
Of the labor element in Austria, which
continues to be strong, despite the
fact that organization was severely
shaken last Winter, when Chancellor
Dollfuss put down an incipient revo-
luton in Vienna with artillery fire.
This element is likely to swell the
ranks Of the actual Nazis, and has
proved its fighting qualities.
Consequently, 1t is believed that
Starhemberg may count on some 20o.-
600 Heimwehr and whatever loyal ele-
mentS he may find in the rank Of the
army To deal with the Naz outbreaks.
The disadvantage Of the rebel forces,
as far as armament is concerned. is
Offset by the fact that they have the
initiative and can start trouble in
points where the government forces
can be outnumbered.
Under these circumstances. 1t ap-
pears doubtful whether Starhemberg
will be able to put down the Nazi
revolt without outside help.
The French and the British are re-
ported to have given carte blanche
to Italy and 100000 Italian troops
are ready to go into action at mo-
ment's notice. The Italian troops
would, II they crossed the border, un-
doubtedly meet serious opposition in
Austria. But 1t is believed that after
q few months Of guerilla warfare they
will be able to crush the NaZis.
Should Italy be permitted to operate
without international complications,
the situation woud be fairly easy.
YugOslavia May Object.
But the danger is that some of
Austria's neighbors, especially Yugo-
slavia, might object If an Italian Army
entered Austria. and decide to send
her own army into that territory In
such a case, the dangers of an inter
national conflagration would be in
creased.
1t is true that so far the French
have urged the Yugoslavs to keep
quiet, whatever may happen. 1t is
equally true that the YugoslavS have
followed Frances advice, mainly be-
cause the Italians have stayed out of
Austria.
9Ab MliCNtiCI DdOtl1C
sells will prevail in Belgrade if the
Italian army actually enters Austria
is an entirely different question.
The Yugoslavs are considered among
the best soldiers in Europe. But they
are also frequently deficient in politi-
cal wisdom Whether the Belgrade
government and even King Alexander
viii be able TO restrain public opinion
If the Italians march into Austria and
that republic becomes a vassal state of
Italy is one Of those questions which
nobody can answer now.
If there is clash between the
Yugoslavs and the Italians, it will be
difficult to avoid another European
war. Much as the French want to
keep peace, and as much as they
urge the YugoSlavs to keep quiet, it
appears more than probable that in
case Of an actual conflict between
Italy and Yugoslavia, the French
would have to side with Yugoslavia.