Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1936-04-02
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS REVIEW
Continued from Page -

troops were in the Rhineland to stay
because that region is sovereign Ger
man territory, and Germany does not
want to take orders from any foreign
powers in regard to the disposition
of her army detachments; he repeat
ed his previous claim that the Locar-
no treaty was broken when France
concluded a treaty of alliance with
Soviet Russian action which he
considered hostile to Germany; he al
so said once more that his principal
aim is to maintain peace in Europe,
and that he, therefore, had proposed
entering into 25-year nOn-aggress1on
treaties with various countries. If his
offers were rejected, the responsible
ty for future happenings would rest
heavily upon the shoulders of the Lo-
carno powers and the League of Ma
tions council AS for the suggestion
made by the LOcarnO powers that the
German troops be withdrawn from the
Rhineland pending a further discus
sion of the whole case, Hitler an
nounced that he rejected it. No COM
promise could be ccepted-especial-
ly not now when he had conclusively
shown the world that his people
wholeheartedly and almost unani-
mously had endorsed his policy.
What May Happen.
1t is futile to speculate on what
may now happen. In all probability
the Locarno powers will have to ac-
cept the Rhineland occupation as an
accomplished fact, and let it 20 at
that. But it may be that the seven
Hitler points of March Z may yet form
the basis of negotiations leading up
to a set of international treaties
which will, to some extent, stabilize
European peace. That Germany is in
the mood to begin war against any OF
her neighbors right now is thought ex-
tremely unlikely. France would not
dare, could not afford to attack Ger
many single-handed, and England
would rush to the aid of France only in
case German invasion of French
soil actually took place. AS for Italy,
we'll, Italy would do nothing whatso-
ever until assured that the League of
Nations would lift the economic sane
tions now inflicted upon the MussOlini
government because of its war of ag-
erosion against Ethiopia. Aside from
all these considerations, there is this
that Germany would have no reason
able cause for war; nor would France
lin view of the fact that what the
German troops have occupied is Ger
man, not French or any other foreign
soil.
Thunder I'm the East.
More portentous is the situation in
East Asia where border clashes be-
tween the soldiers of Mongolia and
those of Manchukuo have become an
almost daily occurrence. These clash
es would not, in themselves, be COLI
sidered serious were it not for the
fact that Mongolia is partly under
Russian control, Manchukuo wholly
under japanese domination. They are,
thus, symptomatic of the tension
which characterizes the relations be-
tween Russia and Japan. Border
clashes do not mean inevitable war,
but they are not to be disposed of
lightly, for one never can tell what
their ultimate result may be. On one
hand, we have Russian assurances
that wars of aggression Will never be
undertaken by the Soviet Republics
but also the warning that anyone who
Isteps on Russia's toes does so at his
own serious risk. On the other hand,
we have a statement made very re-
Gently by the Japanese prime min
lister, Kiko Hirota, to the effect that
as long as he remains at the head
of his government, Japan will not be-
come involved in any war. But-on
the third hand, there is a declaration
by Eli Amau, official spokesman of
the foreign office, that it may become
necessary for Japan to arm against
Russia.
Moscow claims that the soldiers of
Japanese Manchukuo invaded Rus
sian-Mongolian territory; Tokyo that
this is not so, but that, to the
contrary, Russian-Mongolian troops
unlawfully entered Manchukuo terri
tory.
For the moment, the conflict is at
the stage of diplomatic note exchange.
Most people hope it will remain there;
not everybody thinks that it will.
BOmbardment of Harrar.
Amidst the oratorical thunder OF
Germany, the diplomatic turmoil of
the Locarno and the Geneva powers,
and the thunder of actual cannon
along Far Eastern border lines, TIA
llys war against Ethiopia seemingly
had become obscured. Then, all of