Evening star., 1936-09-13
LOCARNO PARLEY CRUCIAL
FOR DESTINY OF EUROPE
Armament Race to. Exceed Anything
Forecast If Agreement Is Lacking
at SignatOries' Talk.

TdIlklIlS ItTLldu ftclCIlSWcilI OluCcE W
this writer. IF the French general
staff can be made to realize the
enormous difficulties it will have to
overcome in the event that it wants
to rush to Russia's rescue, our de-
fensive efforts on the Rhine will be
well worth our trouble" Germany
seems confident that it can deal with
the armies of the Soviets alone and
hopes that the Western Powers will
be wise enough to permit the conflict
to remain localized.
While the British are almost will
ing to be convinced, this point of view
of the Reich's leaders is, Of course,
not relished by the French.
The French government looks upon
its alliance with Russia as the contin-
uation of Frances traditional defen-
sive policy against the German men,
ace. Premier Blum scorns the idea
that communistic Russia has found
in France the support of would-be
communistic country.
The democratic DelcaSse govern
ment did not hesitate to throw its
lot with the brutally reactionary gov
ernment of the Czars. This did not
mean that democratic France ap-
proved of cZarism. In the same way.
says the French premier, the alliance
with the SovietS does not mean neceS-
sarily that the French government Is
willing to become the advance guard
of communism in Western Europe.
But faced by the growing menace
of German imperialism, and con-
fronted by the indefinite and shifting
policies of the British government,
France, Blum says, had no other Sc
curity than an alliance with Russia.
Hitler admits that his aims are i'm
| perialiStic when he talks about Ger
manys need for territorial expansion.
Reich Change Since 1914 Doubted.
The French premier, and with him
the majority of the French people,
believe Germany has not changed
since 1914. The defeat of the Kaiser's
armies was only contretemps. The
Reich has suffered a good deal as
| consequence of that defeat, but it has
iCoiHCh q FaiuoblC iCcoOu' ~ WILL Aot
repeat the mistakes of Wilhelm II,
Won Moltke, Won Kluck and Beth
mann -Hollweg. 1t will pick up again
the threads and continue the Bis
marckian ideas without repeating the
mistakes of the imperial government.
The German government. further
more, is determined not to permit the
question of the Eastern States-princi-
pally the Soviets-to be injected in
the Locarno conversations. The Reich
is willing to sign non-aggression
agreements with the bordering states,
but not with Russia.
And, at this time, it is difficult to
conceive how France, especially un-
der the Blum regime, can scrap an
alliance which was made with every
intent of being sincere and solid.
Despite the loss of prestige as a re-
suit Of the Ethiopian affair, Great
Britain continues to be considered
the paramount power in Europe. The
Germans and the French still look
upon Great Britain as the nation
which caused Germany's defeat in
1914. And the Germans would rather
not take another chance. They will
take it if they are forced by neces-
sity, but they do not want to UNDER
take anything until the last argu-
ments of their diplomats in London
have been exhausted. 1t is possibly
because of this that Sir Robert Van.
sittart let drop during a conversation
in Berlin the sentence: IF the Lo-
carno meeting fails we shall have to
spend next year 800,000,000 pounds
on our rearmament instead of the
800 100000 pounds we are spend
ing this year. 1t may help the un-
employed, but it will be somewhat Of
an effort
The Germans want Great Britain to
understand their position in regard
to the Soviets. They want London
to induce France to realize that their
military preparations are in no way
directed against her as long as
she behaves, that there Is nothing
the Reich wants from France in Eu-
rope except to be left alone to settle
her score with Russia. It is on this
that the fate of the new Locarno
conference hinges. If the preliminary
talks fail. not only Sir Robert Van-
sittart but all the nations Of the
world will have good reason to
shudder.
(Copyright, 1850