The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-12-19
Washington
Merry-Go-
Round
BY DREW PEARSON and
ROBERT S. ALLEN.

N7AsHINGTON, Dec. I9.-De-
w tailed and confidential re-
ports regarding the mysterious Brit
ish backdown, originally accepting
the Hoare-Laval peace plan, gradu-
ally have trickled back to Wash
ington.
They paint a revealing picture.
Behind Britain's abject surrender
to MuSSolini and the sudden will
ingneSs to give away half of Etlli-
| opia were six important factors.
One was a report made by Brit
ish secret agents on Mussolini's ma
val concentrations and the state of
mind of the Italian people. Chief
purpose of this was to ascertain
whether Mussolini was bluffing when
he threatened European war in case
of an oil embargo.
The British report satisfied Down
ing Street that he was not bluffing.
Submarines were reported already
concentrated secretly against Eng
lish shipping. British agents con-
Guided that the very secrecy Of the
ship movements belieG any idea Of
! bluff.
Two was an ultimatum given Sir
Samuel Hoare by Premier Laval
that while he would support Great
Britain publicly, France would not
and could not mobilize in case of
war.
LIE pointed out, first, that French
Ii peasants would not answer a
mobilization call. Even more i'm
portant, the Conscript Maritime or
French naval reserves, who would
have to be modified first, would not
answer a call.
The British were not quite sure
at first whether Laval was double
crossing them, so checked this
through their own agents. They
found Laval was telling the truth.
This was what Stanley Baldwin
meant when he announced in par
lament that his lips were sealed"
regarding certain things.
Three was the situation in Egypt
where anti-British riots have been
advertised to the world-but also
the situation in Arabia which has
not been advertised
There, Ibn Saud, powerful ruler of
Arab tribes, has been flirting with
Italy. Until recently, however, he
was much more friendly to Ethiopia,
due to the Koran which tells how a
king of Abyssinia once gave refuge
to Mohammed But as the Mediter-
ranean dispute broadened into a
clash between Italy and Britain, Ibn J
Saud veered against the British,
with whom he had been allied in
the war in the days of Lawrence of
Arabia.
What he saw was chance to con-
quer the British-supported country
of Iraq-and oil. All this had a de-
cidedly dampening effect on Down.
ing Street.
EOUR was a series of secret nego-
l. tiations with Hitler.
These were held by both the
French and British ambassadors in
Berlin. They got nowhere.
The extent to which the French
and British went in trying to win
over the Nazi dictator has not
leaked out in Europe, and if SO
would scarcely be believed. Hitler
was offered colonies, loan, almost
anything if he would sign a nom
aggression pact, agree to side with
them against Italy.
But he fatty refused. What he
said, in effect, was this:
Germany has suffered much,
and public opinion would not stand
for any such agreement now. For
us it would be retreat. The only
thing I can definitely promise you
is the Rhine. 1t will not be vio-'
lated. Central and Eastern Europe
are my field"
Five. But it is exactly central
and Eastern Europe that the
French and British are worried
about.
German strategy in regard to this
area has been well known for some
time. 1t is to take over Austria, use
this as a stepping stone for annex
ing Observation-Disclosures already
has over three million Germans
then march into the Ukraine and
Russia.
This, of course, would be a blow
not only to the French-inspired
Little Entente, but the preliminary
to war in western Europe.
q
OK. Therefore, imagine the con-
- sternation of the French when
Mussolini suddenly transferred a
large portion of his troops from the
Bremen Pass to the Italo-French
border.
The Bremen Pass is the gateway
between Italy and Austria.
! Copyright. 1885, by United Feature
J. Syndicate. Inc)