Evening star., 1937-08-15

~ RESIDENT ROOSEVELT was
- recently discussing with for
eign diplomat the question OF
4 world peace through limitation
of armaments and liberal economic
policy free Of harassing tariff barriers:
II have a good hat" he said. but I
cannot find peg to hang it on"
His new hat-the plan for an inter-
national economic and disarmament
policy-is availab BILE to anybody who
can offer the peg. The dictators can
not make any secure offer to Mr..
Roosevelt. In fact, the President has
not been looking toward Rome or
Berlin. And the British, with whom
we have a closer diplomatic contact
than with any other country in the
world have cold-shouldered all the
approaches Of the President and State
Department.
This does not mean, however, that
the London government is bent on war
But Great Britain has embarked on
rearmament program which it does
not intend to stop until Britannia can
Slaiiil OlltS HlOlS " IilT WdNCo VI
sea and air. The British political
philosophy is that the world can attain
permanent peace only if Great Britain
is strong enough to impose her will
on the other nations And in this
era it is necessary that the vorld'S
angel OF peace which wields in one
hand the olive branch should grip in
the other real guns and airplanes.
The fact that Italy has been able in
the last l8 months to flout the wishes
of the British Empire and answer
threats from Downing Street with
has convinced the British government
and the British people that they can
talk peace only if their armament is
superior to that of any potential
antagonist.
Thus, to the advances from Wash
ington regarding the feasibility Of
summoning some sort Of conference,
the British answered that the time for
such gathering was not yet ripe. His
Malesty's government is, therefore,
trade policy as expounded by Mr.
Hull. Armaments are expensive these
days, national incomes are uncertain
Every source for increasing them must
be nursed carefully; Great Britain
finds that for the time being her
bilateral pacts, while less constructive
in the long run. are more remunerative
in the immediate future than Mr..
Hulls reciprocal trade agreement
policy.
France Short Tempered.
France wants peace. But the l3
months of war on her borders across
the Pyrenees, the slaps received from
across the Rhine and the sabre
rattling across the Alps have made the
French nation short tempered.
Not so long ago the French people
would have answered 3 mobilization
call only to defend the country from
an aggression: today this has changed
France feels that its borders extend as
far IS Czechoslovakia, and even to the
Niemen and Vistula rivers The for
eign policy Of the French Republic is
closely attached to that of the British
Empire-there is nothing the French
can do but go along with the British
But the maneuvers of the British for
eign Office are followed with a good
deal of suspicion by the Quai d d'Orsay
| The French like to have as much life
insurance as money can buy. They
I have bought some in London-it was
not very expensive-and more ir
Prague and Moscow-at an incompar.
ably higher cost
Under the circumstances the the.
orizing French diplomats still play
with the idea OF a conference. Blu
such = conference, as Paris sees it
will have to be mostly forum
Armament cannot be stopped; it mus
go on until the necessary safeguard
are granted to France. In genera
terms French security means the
guarantee that Germany will not b,
permitted to remain so strong as sh'
is today and threaten the preponder
ance Of the democracies on the Euro
pean mainland
The recent exchange Of letters be-
tween II Duce and Prime Ministe
Neville Chamberlain was regarded il
Paris with alarm instead of relief
Ofhcially, France was relieved at tn,
easing of the tension between the TIVE
Mediterranean powers. The step to
| rIc ci1io
indicated, was the result of panick,
feeling on the part Of the Italian
dictator who now has sleepless night
every time his embassy in Londol
sends home report on the progres
of British armament. Unofficially, tn
news that in the shade of the gun
Mussolini and Chamberlain are pulling