Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1937-03-18
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS REVIEW
BY GEORG STRANDVOLD

Last week the then patent fact was
stated that the international non-in-
tervention committee in Lon d o n
seemed to have abandoned the idea of
establishing a patrol around the Span
ish coasts in order to prevent more
foreign volunteers from joining the
armies participating in the civil war in
Spain. Then suddenly things began to
happen, for before the League of Ma
tiOns the legitimist Spanish govern
ment went with a charge that Italy
and Germany were carrying on an
undeclared war against it, and that
both of these powers were secretly
planning to lombard Barcelona and
Valencia at a time when two addi-
tional Italian army divisions were to
be sent as re-enfOrcements to help
the Francisco Franco fascists cap
ture Madrid. Whether the accusation
was based on facts or merely was a
result of excitement, is hard to tell
at this distance. But, anyhow, it did
accomplish something, for at about
the same time the non-inteVentiOn
committee suddenly became active
and began establishing it's long
awaited. oft-postpOned blockade.
So far, British, French, German and
Italian ships are taking part in it;
Portuguese participation, at first an
nounced as certain, is doubtful, and
Russia seems increasingly unwilling
to do anything in this connection.
40 nhx,;r
Will this unique patrolling of Span
ish waters produce results, or, is it
already too late? Somehow, the
suspicion will not down that delay has
been purpOseful so as to assure the
fascist rebels of the largest number
possible of foreign volunteers before
the shutdown began.
Civil-war fighting in the meantime
proceeds, with as few positive re ults
as hitherto: the defenders of Madrid
have, however. made the world mar
vel at their ability to keep the at
tackers from the city itself for all
these months, and they still main
tain direct connection with Valencia
in spite of the fact that the rebels
have made almost superhuman eff
forts to destroy the highway which
constitutes this vital line of COM
municatiOn.
LOcarnO Treaty.
After waiting for months, the Brit
iSh government last week finally re-
ceived from that of Germany and that
of Italy reply to a note, now old:
Would those two powers take part in
an effort to revise and renew the
LocarnO treaty which, France alleges,
was made null and void because of
the German occupation of demilitar-
lied Rhineland early in March of last
year?
The Berlin and Rome replies were
vague, but one gathered that Berlin
was unwilling as long as the Franco
Russian alliance remained as direct
menace to the security of Germany,
and that Italy felt very much the
same way about it. Both seemed to
feel, too, that the LCcarnO business
ought to be handled entirely outside
the League of Nations.
Accelerated Speed.
Whether these replies were the
cause or not-the fact is that the
British government at once announced
that its program of naval expansion
must be speeded up: Sir Samuel
Hoare, First Lord of the Admiralty,
said to the House of Commons, that
it had become necessary to accom-
plish within two or three years what
otherwise should require period of
ten years, and, therefore, His Males
tvs government had deemed it wise
to complete construction of 6S war
vessels now building. and to start 80.
additional, all within the year of 1887.
This initial part of the gigantic pro-
gram would entail a total cost of
5S5 million American dollars.
Time was-but a few years back
when Great Britain valiantly headed
the movement for international dis
armament. Now she has gone to Op-
pOsite extreme, and that is. very evil
IDENTIFY, a dangerous one.
A "Comment."
When one government insults an