Evening star., 1935-11-10
BY FRANK H. SIMONDS.

the armlStlce OF RetnOnQeS
finds Europe in the throes OF
Il major crisiS-the third In
less than two years. In the Summer
Of 1884 the Nazi putsch in Vienna al
most precipitated a conflict which
would have set the whole of Central
Europe in flames. Last Spring, when
Germany announced her purpose to
rearm in defiance of the disarmament
clauses of the treaty of Versailles,
general war again became an i'm
minent possibility. Now, throughout
September and October, Europe has
seemed once more on the verge OF
hostilitieS and the peril has not yet
been wholly exercised.
Already, too, speculation is wide as
to what will be the ultimate conse-
it ends in patched-up compromise,
which saves the face of Mussolini,
Baldwin and, less Importantly, OF
Geneva and Halle SelaSsie. From
Paris an old friend of mine closely
in touch with official circles has re-
Gently written me forecast which so
closely follows my own estimate that
I quote from it:
Reading the American newspapers
I conclude that the people OF the
United States, like certain portion
of the British public before the gen.
eral election was forced upon them,
have been seeing this present episode
in terms of the tragl-cOmedy being
played at Geneva. Alas. for us French,
nv dear friend, no such privilege is
permitted us. On the contrary. for
us the present crisis has been the
most sgonizing since the Germans
were at scissors in July, 1918.
Breach in Front Deplored.
"In the circles in which I move
there is a general conviction that in
breaking up the Stresa frcnt by their
attitude toward Italy the British
Tories have destroyed the last possible
dixie against German domination in
Central Europe. In recent days l
have heard it 5aid more than once
that the Geemans will be in Vienna
within two years, in Prague within
five ana in Paris within-but no one
will 2x the date for what they now
fear most acutely.
You will remember that the VIC
tory of the Marine was due not only
to British help, but also quite as mucn
to the fact that Italian neutrality en-
abled France to withdraw her frontier
covering troops from the Alps and put
them into battle against the Germans.
But now the Italians will not be neu-
tral. The British have driven MuSso-
lini into the arms of Hitler and. al
though he will not go to Berlin glad
lv, Mussolini has no choice. The
Tories like Churchill and the Liberal
and Labor leaders like Lloyd George
and Morrison are also driving Hitler
to come to terms with II Duce because
they are bringing it home to him that
what he faces is a double attack IN
England from the Right and from the
Left.
"If, as seems probable at the mo-
ment, France and England come to
terms, that will not make up to us the
loss we have sustained in having to
sacrifice Italian friendship unless the
British go in for conscriptlon. AS
for the League, it has become the in
strument of British foreign policy,
actually controlled from Downing
street and not from the Pare Ariadne.
War is coming within two years and
there are few Frenchmen who believe
that we shall be as fortunate this
time as before in halting German
advance.
No Stresa Substitute.
"If the Stresa front could have been
preserved, France. Great Britain, the
Soviet Union and Italy might have
prevented German triumph. Now
that is broken there is nothing to put
in it's place. Your papers seem to be
impressed with the fashion in which
so nations have united to impose
sanctions upon Italy. What we French
have to think about is how many di-
visions those so nations will send to
the Alps or to the Rhine to replace
and combat the Italian troops which
have thus been driven over to the
enemy
I have quoted this letter at some
length because it seems to me to deal
with realities which are attracting
little attention on this side Of the
Atlantic. That one certain conse-
quence of British policy in recent days
will be the eventual alliance between
Berlin and Rome seems to me ap-
parent. 1t will not happen as long
as Hitler clings to his familiar de-
fusion that there can be any alliance
or entente between Great Britain and
Germany. But the developments
which have already taken place, the
evident success of the French in
selling their support to Great Britain
now in return for British promises to
deliver similar support when France
needs it, have had effect in Berlin as
have the campaign utterances of Bald
win and Hoare and the printed words
Of Churchill.
Mussolini is going through an ex-
perience of bitter disillusionment with
France. The Italian press has re-
Gently been saying with unrestrained
passion that Paris has used Italy as
the chopping block and trading point
for her bargaining with London. The
simple truth is that to get France to
back her imperial interests in the
Mediterranean England has had to
meet the French security demands at
the Rhine. In the long run, there
fore, Rome and Berlin must get to-
gether, and when that time comes
Austria and Hungary will be swept
into the ranks Of this Central Euro
pean combine and Czechoslovakia
will be partitioned between the Reich
and Hungary.
Italians Bitter.
Whatever happens now Italian bit
terness against both France and Great
Britain-but primarily against the
latter-will be a factor in all Euro
peon combinations during the next
.e%