Evening star., 1938-10-23
NAz|S CONTINUING
| EUROPE AGITATION
A|sace Autonomists Shift
to Hitler as France
Shows Weakness.
BY WILLIAM BIRD.

BY WILLIAM BIRD.
PARIS. Oct. 22.-Despite Adolf Hit.
ler's assurance to Prime Minister
Chamberlain that, with the recuper.
alton Of the Sudeten territories, hi.
territorial demands lin Europe" (ht
did not say in Africa) were ended
German agents in various countries ir
Europe with German minorities hav.
by no means disarmed. On the con.
trary, their efforts to stir up trouble
are being intensified.
The abject surrender to Hitler's de.
mands in Czechoslovakia has made q
tremendous impression in Alsace
There has always been an autonomist
movement in Alsace, but particularly
since the Communist party turned pa
triotic three years ago. it has not been
much Of a menace. The vast ma ajority
OF Alsatians have always felt that
their destinies must inevitably be
linked with those of France. The
most they desired was q special re-
ligious regime.
Alsatian Opinion Shifts.
OAiSc VIC MOLllCA CdpICulh IlOkl,
things are different The so-called
autonomist movement is becoming
more and more markedly prot German,
| and many capable observers in France
are convinced that it is being backed
by Berlin. That may or may not be
true. but it is not necessary to believe
it in order to understand the drift of
Alsatian opinion away from France
and toward Germany. So long as
France was strong, Alsace was glad to
lean on her, but today France is so
obviously weakened that many Alsat-
ians are wondering whether they
would not do better to throw in their
lot with the Nazis.
1t must not be forgotten that Hitler,
In "Mein Kampf," distinctly claims
Alsace, and distinctly proclaims the
necessity of the utter destruction OF
French power in Europe. In certain
recent speeches he has said the con-
trary, but "Mein Kampf" in its orig
inal form is still required reading in
Germany.
Every day brings news OF fresh agi-
tation in DanZig for annexation to the
Reich, and there does not seem to be
any reason to doubt that 1t will be
accomplished in the near future. There
is little doubt either that. after making
the Poles a present of Teschen at
Czechoslovakia's expense, Hitler will
demand payment in the form OF the
Polish Corridor and perhaps the upper
Silesia mines
Nazis Active in Schleswix.
The Danish government is doing
everything it can to keep the Schles-
wig problem quiet, but Nazi propa-
ganda In that area continues. In the
course Of q recent visit to Denmark,
was told privately by well-informed
Danes-this was several weeks before
the rape of Czechoslovakia-that they
fully expected the Schleswig question
to be raised by Hitler before many
months.
One may ask how all this agita-
ton can be squared with Hitler's as
surance to Mr.. Chamberlain that his
territorial ambitions were now salts
Ned. 1t is really very simple-cer-
tainly no harder than the Sudeten
question was. Agitation Is developed
in various artful ways in the dis
puted territory-whether Alsace or
Schleswig. The laws of the coun-
try are violated. not by Germans, but
by Germanic citizens Of the country
in question. These violations oblige
fhA foLA
measures. Public meetings are for
hidden, infiammatory newspapers are
suppressed. The howl then goes up
that constitutional liberties have been
violated. Provocative measures are
adopted against the police. There is
rioting and bloodshed Hitler screams
that Germans are being brutalized
he calls on the world to witness that
France (or Denmark) is ruled by
terror, under the direction of Jews
and Communists
Then Hitler either walks in to ire
store order" or he calls on Mr.. Neville
Chamberlain to bring pressure on che
offending nation to grant, first, auton-
omy. and, secondly, independence, and,
thirdly, annexation to Germany. After
all, Hitler may say, Il cannot help
it If Germans in Alsace or in Schles-
wig want to belong to Germany"
Hungarians Eye Transylvania.
Meanwhile, with German backing,
the Hungarians are not only biting
of the Hungarian fringe of Czecho-
slovakia, but they are claiming Ru-
thenia. which is no more Hungarian
than Strasbourg, and they are pre-
pairing to 60 after Transylvania as
soon as Hitler has a firm grip on Ru-
mania. It all reminds me OF an ex-
perience friend of mine once had
with two thugs. They stopped him
in a dark street, the leader saying
Look here, pal, I'll be fair. Just
give me half Of what you've got in
your pocket" The victim complied,
glad to get of so lightly. But then
the other thug spoke up and said: :
What about me? I want the other
hail." and the first thug agreed that
that was only right and reasonable.
Nobody in Europe thus far has
been able to suggest any possible limit
to this sort OF thing Neither Eng
land nor France, so far as can be
learned. any longer has the faintest
semblance of foreign policy at pres
ent, to replace the old policy of the
status quo and balance of power that
has just been so gladly abandoned.
No obstacle exists today to the con-
tinued march Of the German empire
to the east. The first resistance that
England will offer will be on the de-
mand, coming soon, for colonies. But
how and with what can the demand