Evening star., 1935-03-24

many to qualify in armaments. but
about the use Germany means to make
of these arms when she gets them.
The time has passed when her pos
session of them can be prevented, the
hour has not yet arrived when she Is
ready to resort to their use. Mean
time we are to have a truce during
which the nations which feel them
selves menaced will draw together
Just as they did 25 years ago. Europe
will thus be divided into two systems
of alliances and the balance of power
will rest with the British. To post
pone war. too. the British will avoid
as long as possible committing them
selves to either side irrevocably.
Recurring Crises Likely.
The unfortunate circumstance Is
that German purposes, as fore
shadowed by Hitler in his book, do
constitute a threat to European peace,
and the manner in which these pur-
poses are pursued must be a constant
threat to continental tranquility. So
we are likely to see recurring crises,
each possibly little more acute than
the preceding and. between times,
conversations like those of Simon in
Berlin, Laval in Rome, Flandin in
London. None of these conversations,
however, can conceivably produce any
European countries have made up
their minds to fight rather than to
abandon their present territories, or,
by contrast, remain within their ex-
isting limits. But they must increase
Germany's isolation.
AS I wrote two years ago, when
Hitler came to power Europe passed
from postwar to pre-war period.
What has happened since then has
been completely in harmony with
pre-war circumstances and unintelli-
the notion that Kellogg pactS, Slim
son doctrines and disarmament con-
ferences have any surviving impor-
tance in a world which has lately
witnessed the Japanese action in
Manchuria, the Italian adventure in
Ethiopia and the German putsch in
Austria.
Today no nation wants war in any
immediate future. But since they
do not, war statesmen must avoid
crises which might precipitate con-
f1ict and conferences which infallibly
produce crises. The far-famed tech
nique of Geneva has been discarded
because everyone now perceives that
meetings at the League between the
statesmen of countries whose policies
are irreconcilable and whose spirit is
uncompromising can only lead to ex-
acerbation. In one word, Geneva has
become the sounding board of the dis
cord of mankind, and conferences the
public barometer of international dis
agreement.
Conversations Private.
So now Laval goes to Rome to see
MusSolini, Flandin visits London to
talk with Macdonald and Simon Is
scheduled to go to Berlin for a con.
versation with Hitler. The conversa-
tions in every instance take place in
private, there is no "pitiless publicity"
and there is, consequently, no later
furious dispute. II the statesmen
who talk together cannot agree upon
anything else they can sign COM
munique which is open to every form
Of Interpretation because it is eener-
ally designed to say nothing, which is
the expression Of the spirit of old
fashioned diplomacy, whose watch
word was "Say nothing" as con-
trasted with the new, whose slogan Is
TELL everything"
When one comes to consider what
Hitler and Simon could actually agree
upon, the problem is little difficult.
Both are engaged in form of
"shadow-boMng" which has little or
CONTINUED on Tenth Pase.)