Evening star., 1935-10-20

author OF "The Real Navy" Etc.
TINE relationships between the
government Of Britain and
France are of particular i'm
- portance during the present
world crisis, and that there is a crisis
is undoubted. 1t is crisis that needs
cool handling, even bold handling.
And probably the greatest responsible
ity rests upon the shoulders of Brit
ain, France and the United States
not necessarily in that order.
You in the United States know what
your views are on both British and
French policies, and your general at
titude toward both these European
nations, but what Of the bearing to-
ward each other of England and
France and their mutual relations?
In the last resort the policy Of any
government depends on its own pub
lie opinion. This is, at any rate, true
of the democratically governed ma
tions. It Is on the sentiments and
general feeling of the ordinary people
in the mass that the policy Of the
government of the day eventually
rests.
Must Be Fundamental Basis.
Public opinion can be nodded and
colored by propaganda, but there must
be some fundamental foundation for
any strongly felt sentiment. Thus,
there was some anti-German propa-
ganda in Britain prior to the Great
War, principally caused by trade
rivalry. The suspicion and uneasi-
ness this propaganda aroused in Eng
land was accentuated by the foolish
utterances Of the Kaiser and some OF
his principal advisers, but there was
o fundamental feeling of hostility
toward Germany caused by the threat
to British sea power, the maintenance
Of which has become almost instinc-
tive among the British people. When
the situation developed which led to
the World War there was a violent
outburst of hostility in Britain against
Germany. This had not little to
do with the decision Of the govern
ment of Westminster to stand by
France.
Similarly, a deliberate propaganda
had much to do with the friendly
feelings of Britain toward France
which developed between 1904 and
1910, the years during which the es-
tablishment and consolidation Of the
entente cordiale was effected. Sup
porting this propaganda was general
feeling that France no longer threat
ened Britain's position and would be
q useful ally in case the threatened
World War broke out. This entente,
which in effect was a military and
naval alliance, ended an ancient and
almost hereditary enmity between
these two near neighbors who had
fought each other at intervals for
centuries.
But what Of the present-day atti-
tude Of the British toward the French.
and the French toward the British?
Let me first deal with the extraor-
dinary changes that have taken place
in British opinion toward France be-
tween the end Of the Great War and
this present year.
Former Allies Always Cool.
There is always coldness between
allies after q war. The British armies
which went to France came into con-
tact with the French much more than
they did with the enemy. In wartime
on land one never sees the opposing
soldiers except as covering prisoners,
fit objects for pity; or, in attack, as
huddled, lodging figures advancing In
short rushes behind their shell bar
rage. The percentage Of British SOL
diers who saw Germans with arms in
their hands and survived was COM
paratively small, but the whole army
came into contact with the French
peasants, civilians, petty oficials and
the like: G.. ...
BY the end Of the war there was