Evening star., 1937-09-10
BY DEWITT MACKENZIE,


BY DEWITT MACKENZIE,
Associated Press Foreign Affairs Writer.
NEW YORK, September l0.-Only
the imagination of Robert Louis
Stevenson could conceive such a
drama of mystery and intrigue as
surrounds today's conclave of nations
in the ancient little town of Nyon
Switzerland. to consider the piracy OF
the phantom submarine or submarines
In the Mediterranean.
The events leading up to this con-
ference have been such as would have
precipitated war dozen times over,
few brief years ago, The air sur
rounding the conclave is sulfureous.
Powerful Russia's overlord. Stain,
infuriated over the sinking of Soviet
ships by the ghostly submersible, has
given an identity to craft which
other nations have been viewing de-
liberately through the small end of a
telescope. He says it's Italian, and
no maybe"
Stain has called the worlds number
dictator out of his name and labeled
him Capt. Kidd. The Muscovite
chieftain has pinned the skull and
crossbones of the jolly Roger to Mus
solini's coat.
Violent Words Banded.
Violent words have heen banded
back and forth. From Moscow have
come unofficial intimations of war.
II Duce, having in about so many
words told Stain to go jump in the
lake" has angrily declined to partici-
pate in the Nyon conference.
Richsfuehrer Hitler, bitter foe of
communism, has joined Mussolini,
once his disliked rival but now we'll
beloved brother, and has placed the
power of rearmed Germany squarely
at the back of Italy.
Thus again we have the two major
relationships in one group. with the
forces of democracy in another.
Britain and France, who sponsored
the conference in the hope of evolving
q scheme to slay the sea-serpent with
out disturbing the peace, have more or
less been left holding the bag, as usual.
The refusal of Mussolini and Hitler
to play in Stalin's back yard. and the
Muscovite's insistence that Mussolini
be spanked as the bad boy of Europe.
have made things exceedingly uncom-
Portable for the Anglo French combi-
nation.
Britain herself has been pretty mad
about interference with British ship
ping by the submarine, but England
long has been pursuing the Wilsonian
tenets of "watchful waiting" and be-
Ing too proud to fight"
Reasons for Reluctance.
There have been several reasons for
her reluctance to swap blows. First,
1t Is generally conceded that she is a
true lover Of peace and hates the idea
of war. Second, she let her war
machine deteriorate so badly that she
lost some of her confidence. Third,
Capt Anthony Eden, the compara-
lively youthful best dressed man"
who Is foreign minister, has most
decided lesnings toward paciacism.
Eden is no weakling, and the fact
that he stands up so stanchly for
his ideals proves it, but it would take
. lot to force him to agree to armed
conflict again. He served through the
World War and knows first-hand
what such confiagrations are.
However, if nobody else will take
the matter in hand, the Anglo French
team hopes to do something decisive
about the submarine that is ruffling
the blue waters which wash the shores
OF so many countries. few depth
bombs dropped by British and French
warships in the vicinity of the sub
mersible might do a lot toward solv-
ing the problem.
Russia's insistence that the con-
ference label Italy as the pirate Gre
stes an uncomfortable position for
the other powers. They don't want TO
label anybody, and Russia is the only
country thus far TO identity the ma
rauder.
True, it is probable that the ma
tionality of the subma rine is known
by every navy Of Europe, including
the Swiss, which consists of some
thing like one cupboard motor boat
armed with pistol, on Lake Geneva.
But apparently everybody excepting
the Russians would prefer TO scupper
the submarine beneath the conceal
ing waves and thus avoid formal rec
ognition.
Despite reluctance TO stir up trou-
bic, 1t is certain that Britain in par
tieular will not continue to stand for
piracy on sea which she has al
ways regarded as her own private
goldfish pond. Further, her vast re-
armament program has been pro-
crossing apace and she is rapidly get
ting into a position which no other
European nation would care to chal-
lenge.