Evening star., 1936-06-19
To Forgive and Forget.

Events in the House of Commons, eSpe-
cially Foreign Secretary Edens address,
definitely seal the doom of the sanctions
imposed against Italy after the League
branded her an aggresSor in Ethiopia.
Having assumed the lead in persuading
Geneva to enforce the economic PEN
alties of the covenant, Britain appro-
priately takes the initiative in calling
for their abrogation. There is now every
prospect that when the Council meets
later in the month sanctions will be
lifted. 1t will be a humiliating confess
sion of the Leagues futility in the gravest
crisis it ever confronted, but the realist
statesmen at the helm In London de-
termined that in the presence of the
irrevocable conquest of Ethiopia there
is no virtue in maintaining policy that
failed to accomplish its purpose.
The Baldwin governments S program is to
regard the East African affair as a closed
incident and mold British policy hence
forth in spirit of Cancellation toward
Italy. Britain makes no apologies for
eSpouSing sanctions and taking a firm
stand against aggression. Though freely
conceding that League prestige has been
gravely impaired, Britain has not re-
nounced her belief in the theory of COL
lective security as a bulwark Of world
peace. In the light of recent experience,
she recognizes the necessity of revamp-
ing League machinery SO that it will
function more effectively than it operated
against Mussolini.
Little secret is made of the reason
for the chastened British attitude. The
impelling motive is to use Italy as
counterweight against Germany in de-
The danger that a continued embargo
on Italian trade would drive the Fascists
into the arms of the Reich is held to be
so real that London had no hesitation
in agreeing to virtually unconditional
surrender in the sanctions mess, however
embarrassing. Italy's return to Geneva,
with her implied readiness to join Britain
and France in restraining Nazi expan-
sion, rates in British eyes as vastly far
more important than prolongation of
measures which could now be purely
punitive in purpose.
Italy, on her part, is apparently ready
also to forgive and forget. Earlier in
the week she wsS planning to demand
that, in addition to lifting sanctions,
the League must acknowledge mis-
carriage of justice in convicting the
Fascists of aggression. The latest word
from Rome indicates that cancellation
of sanctions will be considered as fully
satisfying Italian honor" and removing
the stigma placed upon Mussolinis
realm. Italy is now reputed willing to
cooperate in an all around international
new deal, regardless Of the. late un-
pleasantness. With abolition of sane
tions against herself, Italy will sup
press her counter sanctions and proceed
forthwith to rehabilitate shattered Ital-
ian economic relations. The record may
show that the Geneva indictment still
stands, but II Duce has his booty and
is going to be allowed to keep it without
further interference. That, he is plainly
convinced, is all that counts. Thus, in
a spirit of making the best Of a bad
bargain, the League. is about to end
ineloriously its major effort to outlaw
aggression. Small nations may well
shudder in wonder as to how soon one
of them is doomed to suffer the fate OF
Ethiopia.