Evening star., 1937-06-01
US. SEES TENSION
IN EUROPE EASED
Situation, However, No
Longer Considered Mere
Academic Question.
BY CONSTANTINE RRoWN.

The United States Government takes
an active interest in the present diff
cult international situation. The Eu-
ropean situation can no longer be con-
sidered as a question Of IAN academic
interest it was stated today in off,
cial quarters, since the preservation
of. peace in the world is one of the
cardinal policies of this administra-
ton
For the time being the tension aris-
Ing from the bombing of the German
battleship Deutschland by Spanish
nirplanes and from the bombardine Of
the Port of Almeria by the German
Mediterranean squadron is considered
by the State Department lessened
There was hurried four corner con-
sultation yesterday by President Roose-
welt, Secretary Cordell Hull, Undcrsec-
retary Sumner Welles and Ambassador
Rullitt, who was keeping the adminis-
tration informed as to the latest de-
velopnents by telephone from Paris
Ambassador Bullitt, who enjoys the
tull confidence and friendship Of
Premier Leon Blum and Foreign Sec
retary Yvon Delbos, informed the
Government yesterday morning that
the dangers of an immediate con-
aagration were temporarily removed
by the fact that the German feet
was ordered to Melilla, instead of
going north.
Feared More Reprisals.
1t was feared in Paris that the Ger
man government might continue its
reprlsals against Valencia and BARGE
Iona. This would have caused so our
diplomats believe, an extremely dan
gerous situation.
Since the tension is somewhat
easier, it is unlikely that the President
or the State Department will make
any formal declarati ton of policy re-
garding the tension in the Mediter-
ganean in the near future. What
will happen later, in the event of an
other incident, depends a good deal
on the trend of public opinion in this
country and on any arbitrary act on
the part Of the Germans or the
Italians.
While diplomats are satisfied that
the Sunday incident has been closed
bv the bombardment of the Port of Al
nleria, and look for some kind of
diplomatic negotiations for the final
settlement of this question, in mill
taTy and non-diplomatic quarters fears
are expressed that this incident may
be only the beginning Of series OF
similar troubles which will inevitably
end in disaster.
The nucleus for such further Incl
dents exists in the order given by
Hitler to his ships in the Mediter-
ranean to shoot at sight at any Span
ish man of war or airplane which
might have hostile intentions. This
is very complicated order. 1t is
practically impossible for the captain
Of a warship to say whether an air.
plane flying at height of, say, 5000
feet has hostile intentions or not.
After the bombing of the Deutsch-
land 1t is very likely that the anti
aircraft guns will be put into action
as soon as a Spanish airplane coming
from the Loyalist territory is sighted
The same thing may be said about
any Loyalist man of war. Besides
this, the situation might become diff
cult by the fact that the commander
of every German unit in the Medi-
terranean is angered by the unpro-
Voked-that is the German version Of
Sundays incident-attack on their
flagship and will in all probability
take advantage by the elastic orders
of the Fuehrer TO shoot any air or
sea vessel belonging to the Loyalists
In these non-diplomatic quarters
the present situation is compared to
the one which existed late in July,
1914. when, although the war ap-
peared inevitable to military men, dip
lomats continued to believe in the
common sense of the governments
and people who do not want to fight"