Evening star., 1936-09-13
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.


- tunity to show the Western
powers their strength and harmony
Of diplomatic action. But the real
showdown will occur at the conference
of the Locarno powers. If the sigma
tories of the Locarno treaty can get
together and agree upon formula
which, among other things, will sta
bilize armaments, Europe can count
on a few years of peace. If, on the
other hand, no agreement is possible
and that will be seen during the pre-
iminary negotiations which have be-
gun already-the armament race is
going to exceed any forecast that has
been made. Sir Robert VanSittart
observed to one of his German friends
when he was in Berlin six weeks ago:
II shudder to think what the outcome
will be should these pourparlers fail"
And this fear is shared by every in
formed person in Europe.
The British permanent undersecre.
tary of state is not a man who shud-
ders easily. He is a realist in politics
and a shrewd diplomat. He came
to Berlin allegedly to see the Olympic
games. But he saw Hitler, t1o, and
Schacht, Goering, Won Ribbentrop
and other Germans and discussed with
them the possibilities of an under
standing among the Locarno powers.
1t was after these conversations that
Hitler appointed Won Rlbbentrop as
his Ambassador to London, although
the handsome friend of the Reichs-
fuehrer was strongly opposed to the
negotiation of another Locarno agree
ment.
But the British and French are
loath to see the present armament
race continue. 1t is undoubtedly
more difficult for the leaders of DEM
ocrat1c states, where the population
becomes alarmed at the fantastic fig
ures which are being spent for mill
tary preparedness, to carry on, than
Tor the authoritarian states where no.
BODY knows how much money is being
spent and where the money comes
from.
A6hSSe %Nok w SCt DdtCs
At the instance of the British
foreign Office Hitler and Mussolini
withdrew their objections to the
principle of holding another confer
ence. But they both made it clear
they did not have to be too emphatic
that a failure would be worse than
II the meeting were not called at all.
And the four powers agreed cot to
set a date for the conference. If in
surmountable difficulties are Ciscov-
cred in the preliminary discussions
nothing more will be said and the
contemplated conference wifi be buried
quietly.
The Germans have very definite
ideas about what they want to ask
from the other powers and or not
intend to shift their position. They
want to be allowed to handle the
Russians in their own way. They
also want the French to throw their
Russian allies overheard in exchange
for a security pact in Western Europe.
Hitler told the British this last
Spring. Recently the German :oreign
Office has made the same declaration
to Francois Poncet, the French Am
bassador in Berlin. And the ex-
preSsionS used by officials of the Quai
d'Orsay were not even clad in the
usual diplomatic trappings.
Germany and her Italian running
mate are willing to enter into an
agreement with Great Britain, Franco
and Belgium to guarantee each others
frontiers. They also are willing to
reach compromise for the stabiliza-
ton of armaments at their present
levels. The reason for this is simple.
The Reich and Italy have now def
mite military and air preponderance
in Western Europe The German and
the Italian air forces together are nu-
merically superior to everything the
British, the French and their Little
Entente allies can muster at this time.
Next year, when the 5000 British
planes will be ready and the French
have trebled their air force, the situa-
tion will be considerably changed for
the Central Powers.
Destroyers Lying Idle.
The German navy is still in it's in
fancy. 1t is being methodically-but
not hastily-expanded to the permit
ted IS per cent of the British strength.
The new German destroyers launched
three months ago are lying idle at
Kiel because the engines are not ready.
But the portion of the Reich's navy
which Is ready is splendid fighting
force.
An agreement to stabilize forces as
they stand at present would mean,
therefore, that France and Great Bri-
tain would not proceed with their re-
armament programs. And neither
Germany nor Italy wants either of the
other countries to build up to the
German strength.
Germany and Italy are ready to
pledge themselves in all earnestness
and good faith to respect the exist
ing frontiers of Western Europe. But
Germany does not want to make any
promises Of good behavior in regard
to the Soviets. In the minds of all
the Germans a war with Russia Is a
historical necessity, and an essential
prophylactic operation for the good
Of Europe. Germany is preparing for
that war regardless of consequences.
The British have been told this in so
many words. and the French were
warned about this plan long before
they concluded their alliance with the
Soviet Union. The Czechoslovaks
were informed by the Reich that me
gotiations for conclusion Of an eco
nomic or non-aggression pact would
be extremely difficult, if the proposed
Czechoslovak-Soviet military alliance
became an accomplished fact" And
the day after the alliance was signed
the German press began relentless
and violent campaign against the
Czechoslovaks, dramatizing the suf-
ferings Of the German minorities and
the threatening character Of the new
pact. The campaign was temporarily
suspended during the height of the
Spanish crisis, but now German news
papers have been ordered to resume
their attacks against President Benes
and his cnaIrtrvv,oon