Evening star., 1937-02-07
BY ELMER DAVIS.

visit 10 prague. England
i and Russia are humning with
stories that the next war will start
here, perhaps next Summer, perhaps
next month"; war on the Spanish
model, beginning with an insurrection
of the Germans in CZechoslovakia un-
der the leadership of the Semi-Nazi
Sudetendeutsche Partei, which would
then be supported by the German
Reich.
Now, some day Germany may attack
Czechoslovakia. But unless France
and Russia repudiate their defensive
alliances, that would mean general
war, for which Germany Is by no
means ready yet. This particular
story is only laughed at here, by
Czechs and Germans both.
Naturally the local Germans insist
that they have no intention of start
ing any trouble. Naturally the Czech
government, like any government, in
sists that it has the situation well In
hand. But it does not take the foreign
observer long to convince himself that
the materials for rebellion on the
Spanish model, such as these rumors
predict, simply do not exist here.
Goal Not Clear.
It Is hard to find out what the
Sudetendeutsche Partei-usually alb
breviated "SdP"-really wants, still
less how 1t proposes to get 1t. Its
leader, Konrad Henlein, has said,
mo responsible political movement
would count on war as an instrument
Of policy" and the great majority OF
Czechoslovak Germans would probably
agree. SdP leaders insist not only
that they are loyal to the Czechoslovak
state, however they may want 1t re-
constructed, but that the rise Of their
party has been the best insurance
against rebellion, since it has given
the Germans of Bohemia hope OF
redressing their grievances without re-
course to political adventures"
To the foreigner. their activity
seems by no means as wholly bene-
ficial as all that. But certainly the
Czechs are showing an increased will
ingness to examine those grievances,
to discriminate between those that
are real and those that are propa-
ganda (there are plenty of both)
and to make a real effort to redress
complaints that have some justiflca-
ton.
At any rate there can be no mill
tary mutiny of the Spanish type, in
which most of the generals and OFF,
GERS of the regular army rose against
the government and took some troops
with them. Czechoslovakia has uni
ersal service, so the Germans, being
% per cent of the population, are
% per cent Of the army, too. But
they are distributed in units with
Czech or Slovak majorities; there are
no German battalions which could
n1utiny In body.
Few German Officers.
OF the professional officers Of the
peace time army, there are 5000
Czechs and Slovaks and only 500
Germans, none of whom has higher
rank than lieutenant colonel. The
percentage Of German reserve officers
is somewhat larger, but not enough to
be a serious danger even If all the
Germans were potential mutineers, as
they certainly are not. Finally, there
are few Germans Of any rank in the
tank corps or the powerful motorized
heavy artillery, and virtually none
in the air force.
As for q civilian uprising, neither
the means nor the will seems present
among the Germans. The Sop in
voting represents only go PEI cent of
the Germans in the country; and
privately its leaders admit it would
never get the support of the German
Socialists-about IS per cent of the
total-or Of the Communist 6 per
cent.
Czechoslovakia tolerates no private
armies such as helped Fascism to
power elsewhere. The licenses re-
quired for the possession of arms
are granted with caution, and the
frontier guards can probably prevent
the smuggling in of any serious guam
tity. II "putsch" were attempted
and no responsible authority expects
lit could almost certainly be put
down Delore any outside aid could
arrive.
No Enthusiasm for Invasion.
German interference, then, could not
even seem anything but downright in
vasion: and for that. not even filters
most ardent admirers in Czechoslovakia
could feel any enthusiasm. Two-thirds
Of the Germans in the country live
along the northern and western from
tiers of Bohemia, which would be. the
first and most bitterly contested the
ater of war. Whoever won the war,
they would lose it. Caught between
the heavy guns of Kupp and of Skoda,
with two great air fleets fighting over
head. they would be simply blown off
the map. And they know it.