Evening star., 1935-04-18
Germany Indicted.

Time alone can tell what effect, II
any, action taken on Wednesday at
Geneva will have upon the peace OF
Europe. For the moment the resolu-
ton adopted unanimously by the
League Council, with the exception OF
the uncast vote of Denmark, leaves
Germany isolated, condemned and re-
buked by the fifty-seven member ma
tions of the League for unilaterally
repudiating the armament clauses OF
the Versailles treaty and plunging
Europe back into another era OF mill
taristic rivalry and terrorism.
A Berlin Associated Press dispatch
reports that Hitler "hit the roof
when he was acquainted with the
terms of the Geneva indictment. Be
yond an outburst of resentful comment
in their controlled press, the Nazis
give no indication of their next move.
Their enthusiasm for Germanys re-
turn to the League will certainly not
be whetted. Nor is the Reich now
any more likely to join whole-heartedly
in the Danubian conference in Rome
q month hence. at which general
plans for solidifying European Sc
curity are to be formulated. The whole
outlook at this embittered hour is for
a continuance of tension, with the
League of Nations facing another Of
those supreme tests" OF its moral
authority from which in the past 1t
has not emerged exactly with flying
colors.
There are suggestions that an early
manifestation of Germany's rearma-
ment program will be the fortif1cation
OF the Rhineland. which, under the
Versailles treaty, is demilitarized
zone. Coincident with this prospect
are Geneva indications that such
maneuver by the Nazis, supplement-
ing their defiance of the military
clauses, would provoke instant and
forcible opposition by the Western
powers, if not by the entire League.
Definite hints of such recourse are
contained in a passage of the Council
resolution. 1t foreshadows the taking
Of "all appropriate measures on the
part of League members within the
framework of the covenant" in case
of any future treaty regulations
which endanger security and peace.
Thus the Reich Is not only indicted
for what it has already done, but
categorically warned of the risk Ger
many runs If it ventures any further
violations. A committee of nations
was named to map out a formal pro-
gram of penalties to be imposed
henceforward upon any country acting
alone to disrupt treaty obligations, as
Germany did. The proposed "sanc-
tions" may be economic or military,
or both.
Fuehrer Hitler is expected immediate
ly in some public manner to supply an
inkling of Germany's intentions, in the
face OF the international stigma that
has just been put upon her. He has
to make up his mind at the very
moment which finds France and the
Soviet Union about to renew the old
Franco-Russian military alliance, a
pact which this time will claim the
allegiance of the powerful group COM
prising the Little Entente. British and
italian sympathies with the anti
German trend are no longer disguised
Yesterday at Geneva the Germans
experienced the humiliation of seeing
even their World War ally, Turkey,
aligned against them. The Reich's
newly-found friend, Poland, also was
in the Council group that voted to
rebuke the Reich. Argentina, Chile
and Australia joined in the indictment.
Berlin today confronts literally world
wide condemnation of her threat to
peace. It will be a madly bold stroke
on Hitler's part. if, by persistent re-
fusal to cooperate in collective action
for security in Europe, he forges into
concrete existence that ring of steel
that already envelops the Reich in all
but actual fact.
There are no more parlor Socialists