Evening star., 1937-08-15
BRITISH PR0-NAz|
Faction WORRIED
Correspondents Expulsion
Seen as Bar to New
Understanding.
BY JACK BEALL.
epecial Dispatch to The Star.

SPECIAL DlSpatch TO Inc star.
LONDON, August 14.-The shindig
over expulsion of three German jour
nalists with rehliations proposed by
Berlin, is disturbing the plans and
hopes of the pro- German section of
the British ruling class.
Just when everything was going
nicely, with the series of billets-douX
exchanged between Prime Minister
Neville Chamberlain and Benito Mus
solini, just when there was a decided
shift In the wind from pro-French,
pro-Soviet foreign program, toward
a pro-dictatorship policy, this group
finds cause to lament why did this
have to come up?"
As a matter of fact, there is no
great excitement about it here, even
with the discovery Of nest of Nazi
political spies, since the spies We're
more devoted to observing the daily
lives Of other Germans, notably refU-
gees, rather than to poking noses into
military and naval secrets, the effect
on the man in the street is so far
almost negligible. But there has been
a press war stirred up. That is horse
OF another color.
Furor Over Press Freedom.
Naturally the press here, as in Ger
many, feels itself attacked. There is
as much furor over freedom OF the
press here as there is in America, al
though the actual freedom is de-
batable thing. When as eStlmable
a Journalist as Norman Ebbutt of the
London Times is threatened with eX-
pulsion, then the London press pretty
much rallies to the defense.
When one has the London metro
politan press in full cry against the
Germans and conversely the whole OF
the Nazi press in full cry against the
British, it isebound to make for bad
blood between the two countries.
That is the main worry of those
who would like to see Germany and
England come to an understanding.
Bv this understanding, naturally, Eng
land would be required to stand aside,
while Germany did whatever she
vakia, or perhaps. in the end, in Rus
eia. 1t should be added that there is
every reason to ink that the prime
minister is one Of this group. At the
present time. at least. he is directing
the foreign policy of the British En-
pire.
Blunder Laid to Hoare.
The whole thing arose from what
the pro-Nazi English regard as blum
der by the home secretary, Sir Samuel
Hoare He need not have chosen this
moment, they feel, to eXpel the Ger
man journalists, and thus to precipl-
tate a situation which has led to news
paper drumfire in the two countries
On the other hand, many of them
will admit that there was considerable
NaA stupidity heaped on. After all
1t was not necessary for DR.. GoebbelS
to pick on the Times. which had for
many months on end. shown dis
tinct pro-Nazi trend, for a retaliatory
gesture.
The whole orientation of policy
toward Germany, in the way Of which
this episode may prove only a brief
snag, is having most remarkable
effect upon France. The chief OBJ
stacle to buying Germany off is, natu-
rally, the Franco-Soviet pact. While
there is maintained the closest mill
tary alliance with France for safety's
sake against Germany, there is still
going on policy of isolation of France
from her other allies, chiefly the
Soviet. English diplomacy first Strug-
gled TO prevent the FTanCo-Soviet pact
and has since done as much as it
could to render it nugatory. Under
this type of undermining foreign pol
Icy, the French have all but lost their
power of initiative.
The chances are that the British
rearmament, which has previously
been thought of as against Germany,
Is, in fact and reality, form of in
surance that Germany won't try any
adventure toward the west, and will
strictly confine herself to the east and
southeast of Europe. After Nazi-ism
has intrenched herself there the prob
lem would have to be considered if
British interests are being too much
essailed for peace between Germany
and England.
tCopyrtght. 1887. by New York Tribune.
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