Montgomery County sentinel., 1938-10-13
Bruckart's Washinston Digest
Peace Bought by Pieces Of Nation
Likely to Last Only for "A While
Much in Situation in Central Europe Has Not Been Told;
Roosevelt and Hull Handled Affair With Fine Ability;
Versailles Treaty Blamed for Trouble.
By WILLIAM BRUCKART
WNU Service, National Press Bldg, Washington D. C.

WASHINGTON.-It appears that
the world is going to be spared
general European war for a while,
and yet it should be recognized that
the period of peace that has been
bought with pieces of a nation is
likely to be only ga while" From
all of the information available in
Washington's diplomatic corners
combined with the judgment of men
who know European politics
European human nature-it seems
that the balance is so delicate as to
permit powder keg being fired by
an inconsequential firecracker.
Nevertheless, there is much that
has not been told about the situation.
Little has been said, for instance,
about the basic problem in the cen
ter of Europe, nor has there been
real frankness about the part which
American representatives had in the
original setting of the present day
grief. American. political conditions
domestic politics-obviously con.
stitute one reason why there has.
been only infrequent references to
the underlying causes of the trouble.
A more important reason, however,
is that if there had been much talk
about our original interest, there
would have been many more sug-
gestions from abroad that Uncle
Sam should come in and act as
arbiter. Surely, there was no one
in this country willing that Presi-
dent Roosevelt should do that. Mr..
Roosevelt foresaw that possibility
early; so he confined American ef-
forts to earnest pleas for avoidance
of war, for use of common sense
methods of settlement.
think that Mr.. Roosevelt and
Secretary Hull of the state depart
ment handled the extremely deli
cate situation with fine ability. The
pleas which went out to cOntending
forces carefully avoided possibility
of entanglements; yet, even the bull
headed Hitler must have felt the
pressure that was represented by
them, pressure on whatever ma
chinery within him that he calls his
mind and heart. More than that,
public appeal by the United States
certainly gave added courage to the
Europeans who were trying to solve
the problem without paying ten mil
lion lives and billions in money.
Root of All the Trouble
Lies in Versailles Treaty
But let us quit kidding ourselves
about the European situation. Why
dodge around the bush concerning
the underlying facts and the blame
that attaches, including such blame
as belongs to US?
We must recognize these facts:
!. The root of all the trouble is i'm
bedded in the Treaty of Versailles.
In that treaty, written in 1919, there
were injustices that could only lead
eventually to head-on collision. It
was in the Versailles peace negotia-
tions after the World war that Presi-
dent Wilson coined the phrase, "self
determination of peoples" 1t was in
those negotiations, too, that Lloyd
George Of England, Clemenceau Of
France, and Orlando of Italy, traded
Mr.. Wilson out Of everything be-
fore they would agree to his ideal
ism, founding of the League of Ma
tions. No one can say that Woodrow
Wilson lacked sincerity; and it was
this deep sincerity, ironically, that
was preyed upon by the other three
victorious nations. Mr.. Wilson yield
ed when a majority of Americans
knew at the time that he was being
trapped.