Evening star., 1935-04-07

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of the most interesting and
important fortnights in postwar
history. The talk in Berlin between
Hitler and Simon served to crystal
lie the situation. 1t put an end
to the vague hopes, and even more
nebulous plans, for averting actual
collision between irreconcilable pol
icies by patching up the postwar
peace machinery once more and
again prolonging the time of make
believe. Europe now knows what
Germany wants and realizes that
these objectives can be attained only
by war.
Broadly speaking, the German de-
nands are twofold. On the terri
torial side Hitler has outlined his
purpose to bring about Austro-Ger-
man union, first economic and later
political, to include within the Reich
the three and half millions of the
German-speaking population dwell
ing on the perimeter of Czechoslo-
vakia from the basin of the Oder to
that of the Danube and, in addition,
to recover Memel Immediately and
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the military side Der Fuehrer pur-
poses to create an army equal to
the French, man for man and gun
for gun; an air force second to none
and a navy capable of dominating
the Baltic.
What Hitler asks on the military
side amounts to the necessary means
to take what he wants on the ter
ritorial 1t should be noted that Ber-
lin has denied the Corridor detail
and at least disguised the Memel
intent. What the chancellor seems
to have told Simon, apart from lot
OF deliberate propaganda designed to
exploit obvious British dislike and
distrust of the Soviet Union, was that
Germany was resolved to apply the
old program of pan-Germanism to
Central Europe. Some 10 or II mill
lion Teutons living in the Austrian
and Czech fractions of the old Haps-
burg monarchy are thus to be united
to the 65,000000 of the Reich. The
program foreshadows also the ex-
tinction of all but nominal inde-
pendence Of the 100000 Czechs of
Bohemia and Moravia.
Hitlerian Prospectus.
A state containing almost 10000, 900
people and controlling the deStinies
of seven more, occupying the whole of
Central Europe and extending its
economic mastery and its political in
fiuence to the Aegean and the Black
Seas-this is the Hitlerian prospectus.
This plan dooms the Austrian Repub-
lie and involves the partition if not
the elimination of Czechoslovakia. It
directly menaces the security of Italy
by establishing common frontier be-
tween Germany and Italy. 1t indi-
rectly threatens French security by
undermining the balance of power.
Napoleon, at the heyday of his i'm
perial fortunes, did not possess the
relative strength in the presence of
other states which Hitler now seeks
to gain. Therefore it must be plain
that If Europe is to escape from a
repetition of the Napoleonic episode
1t must prevent the creation of
German Mitteleuropa which, at best,
could only be demolished after a new
war at least as destructive as the last.
And since the things Hitler means to
have or to do constitute a peril to
Italy, France, the Soviet Union and
the nations of the Little Entente (Ru-
mania, Yugoslavia and Czechoslo-
vakia), 1t is reasonable to expect that
these countries will now proceed to
create a common front against an
Identical foe. AS for the position
Poland will take, that remains OBJ
scure, but signs are not wanting that
Warsaw Is quite properly becoming
nervous about German plans in
Pomorze and in the Netze district.
Under the existing circumstances,
1t would seem obvious that this COM
blnation Of continental powers which
Is rapidly taking form would suffice
to surround Germany with a ring of
steel and make war for Hitler a des-
perate gamble to be undertaken only
In the face of desperate economic
conditions. Nevertheless, as long as
Great Britain stands aside from such
q coalition, her course will serve alike
as an encouragement to German
hopes and spur to German prepara-
tons. BY contrast, if Britain goes
with the Continent, then, as Hitler's
hopes sink, his despair must become
. potent factor
What makes the British situation
dlmcult Is the realization that no mat
ter what else happens England can
not permit National Socialist Ger
many to win continental war with
out sacrificing its own security. No
matter how just German claims NAV
De IN many details, no matter how
unfairly she may be treated in vari-
Gus respects, the simple brutal truth
Is that the hour in which the Ger
many Of Hitler's dreams takes form,
not only the security of the British
Isles, but the safety of the British
Empire will be in danger. That is
why the German hopes of keeping
England out of the next war are
without real foundation. But it is
utterly unlikely that British states
manship will feel free to take an un-
compromisingly anti-German atti-
tude. For while Britain's material
interest Is clear she must still have a
moral justification for an inevitable
decision.
Alert and Anxious Foes.
With or without Poland, then, Ger
many is henceforth to be isolated in
all Europe and encircled on the con-
tinent by alert and anxious foes.
While her armaments are expanded
ut furious pace, those of the sur
rounding countries will be extended
at an equal rate. Little by little the
truth will be recognized everywhere
that the end of the process is war.
And meantime incidents like the re-
cent affair of Memel will serve to
keep the nerves of Europe constantly
on edge and the tempers of statesmen
aroused. One day some incident will
come like that of Serajevo and that
will bring the explosion.
Americans who are watching this
impending conflict from afar must,
however, preserve a degree of OBJ
jectivity in considering the issues in
volved. Germany's claim to parity
In armaments with all other powers
rests upon inherent rights of SOW
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