The Washington times., 1936-05-07
RACE TO ARM
GRIPS ALL
EUROPE
CONTINUED from Page q

world and came within an ace Of
winning.
France sees the German forti.
ficationS as q. wall to divide her
permanently from her friends.
Protected by that wall against
French assault, Germany could go
ahead and pick off one by one
Frances allies, while If Germany's
proposals for bilateral non-aggres-
sion pactS were accepted, the
other nations would be compelled
merely to observe each little 10
Called war;"
This is the French view. The
favorie French solution Is an open
military alliance with Britain.
Britain can not give it. Her gov
ernment might wish to, but her
public would rebel. The second
French solution is to put teeth into
the League covenant and estab
lish an international army to en-.
force peace. This is q roundabout
way to bring Britain in by the
back door. Either way would give
France, with her other allies. the
militar preponderance she feels
she needs against Nazi Germany.
Neither French solution is likely
to be realized.
Germany views the whole OF
French activity as a conspiracy
to bind the Reich forever within
its present frontiers, contrary to
the dynamics of the German peo'
pie, contrary to justice, to destiny
and to common sense. No power
on earth can deprive the Germans
of their desire to expand, though
sufficient power might be accumu'
lated to prevent it.
Slavic Power Feared
The Germans ask:
"Why prevent it? Don't you
realize that unless we push East
ward and do it fast and hard,
the continent is going to come
under slavic domination and
that means BOlshevik?"
True enough, Friedrich Burg
dorfer, eminent German vital
statistician, points out that in
1910 Europe had "a per cent Slavs
and the rest equally divided be-
tween LatinS and TeutonS, mean.
ing Germans, English, Dutch and
Scandinavians. BY 1910 the SlavS
had Al per cent: by 1880 they had
As per cent and by 1860 they will
have q little over so per cent OF
the total population Of Europe or
3O3, ,00O, 900 out Of 100000 900.
This does not impress Britain,
accustomed to rule with the small
est army the greatest empire IN
history. But Britain views the
Franco German conflict as unfor'
tunate to the point Of gravity and
grave to the point Of alarm. This
home of claSsically phlegmatic
statesmen n was acutely anxious
when Hitler reoccupied the Rhine
land. British anxiety is less today
because the danger Of immediate
war has blown over for the mo.
ment, but the acute has become
chronic fear.
Hence Britain tried to build q
peace system to harmonic French
and German desires. But how
can the French desire to keep
every boundary in Europe intact
be reconciled with the German de.
sire to change these boundaries?
The British dodge this issue by
feeding both sides.
They fed the French with staff
talks" wherein the French, Bel.
gian and British general StaffS dis
cuSSed the technical ways to CO.
operate against German attack.
These talks are important because
they establish a binding connec-
ton despite British denialS that
this is so. But they are beside the
point because they deal with a
hypothetical German attack on
France or Belgium, whereas the
only German attack feared is upon
the East.
Britain is willing to guarantee
France and Belgium against Ger.
many, because if not now then
very soon Germany will be strong
er than France and Belgium, and
Britain has never given up her
faith in the balance of power.
That faith makes her automatical-
ly support the weaker side. But |
Britain refuses to guarantee any
other nation and particularly not |
the Soviet Union. Britain is un-
impressed by Slavic numbers, but |
is much impressed by Soviet |
growth in industry and arma-
mentS. How can Britain tell |
whether the time may not come |
when the Soviet Union will be the |