The Washington times., 1934-02-21
BY H. r. KNICKERBOCKER
International News Service Staff
CorresDOudent

BY H. r. KNICKERBOCKER
International News Service Staff
Correspondent
ACOpyright, 1884. by international News
Service. Reproduction in Whole or
Part FOrbidden)
PRAGUE, Feb. 21.-The shrewd-
est foreign minister in central Eu-
rope believes this old continent
has an even chance, but no better,
TO escape war in the near future.
But if it does not come within
five years, he believes it will not
come at all.
Eduard Benes, co-founder of
CZechoSlovakia will President
Masaryk, is "a years younger than
his venerable chief. The President
says there will be no war because
there is no money" but Benes
says the chances are fifty-fifty.
DictatOrships Change
That was his own expression.
The little man who has made his
foreign ministry more important
in the councils of Europe than the
ministries of much larger states,
waggled an energetic thumb as
he sat at his desk an hour before
train time for one of his periodic
daShes to an allied capital. He
said:
II say it is fifty-fifty. 1 am
speaking in terms of five years.
I mean by that that if the pres
ent state of national tension
that can be observed now in
Germany were to continue for
five years, then the chances of
war would be more than 50 per
cent.
But political history and the
history of relationships show
that this sort OF national ten
sion is not likely to exist for
so long. Furthermore, as we
have seen, relationships evolve.
i am not SO sure that the Ger
many of five years from now
will be the same Germany it is
today"
I asked if the Polish German ne
gotiations disturbed him. He re-
piled:
II do not think that any
breach will be made in the.
front permanently"
The Austrian Situation
But there is Austria, what
would happen to Czechoslovakia if
Austria went Nazi, became de
facto part Of Germany?
"Are you worried about Aus
tria?"
mot at all. You see, all the
time people have been saying
that Austria is chiefly a Czecho-
slovakian question, they say
you will be surrounded. You
will be choked to DEATH Not at
all.
"The fact is it took people q
long time to realize what the
correct proportions of the Aus
trian question were. 1t took
them q long time to realize that
Austria is first European queS-
ton, second an Italian question,
third q central European ques-
tion, fourth a French question,
and fifth and finally a CzechO-
slOvakian question.
"But everybody says that If
Austria goes Nazi or goes Haps-
burg you will march,"
HAS UNITED COUNTRY
"No. We will do what Italy
and France do. Or let me put
it this way. We will leave the
question to the great powers,
and especially to Italy and
Germany. I am ready to fol-
low the lead of Mr.. MusSOlini,
and we shall be glad to have
him settle the problem with
Germany"
But foreign Minister BeneS sees
one good result for his country
from Hitler's rise to power. He
believes it has strengthened the
defensive will of the country and
has unified the nation.
81 believe that democracy will
once more be dominant. Dicta-
torships as neighbOrS always
strengthen demOcracies in those
countries where economic and
political conditions are healthy.
We in CZechOslovakia have been
strengthened.
"YOu see, l am an Optimist.
1t is my business to take ac-
count of every eventuaIity. We
must be prepared for war; we
must be prepared for peace.
We are prepared for both"
But Czechoslovakia has its
treaties for mutual defense with
France, Rumania and Jugoslavia.
It has the smallest but best
equipped army of the Little
Entente. 1t has Skoda. the big.
geSt munition plant in Central
Europe. Finally it has BeneS,
He is worth more for keeping the
peace than the army. But he
gives the real odds at fifty-fifty
TOMORROW, Knickerbocker inter
UtetUs King Alexander / OF Jugo
SIGOtd, 10hom he terms BOSS o.