Evening star., 1938-09-27
Peace Gates Still Aiar.

Peace Gates Still Ajar.
In a day crammed with successive
hours Of dramatic developments and
svanescent events, what the world feared
might take place in its history as an
other Black Monday ended up after all
with war at least no more probable
than 1t has been for q feverish week.
Indeed, early today Prime Minister
Chamberlain, in an informal though
ohacial comment on Chancellor Hitler's
bellicose outburst, declared that Great
Britain will guarantee the early sur
render Of the Sudetenland to Germany
II the Nals agree to refrain from war
to enforce their demands by the end Of
this week. The gates of peace thus are
still ajar. That is to say, they will re-
main open beyond the October l in
vasion deadline set by der Fuehrer, pro-
vided he divests himself Of the char
acter Of q man In hurry and is content
to bag his quarry in due course instead
Of at once.
Thus Mr.. Chamberlain, still enacting
the role Of chief undertaken in the dis
memberment of Czechoslovakia, essays
yet one more effort to make the funeral
at least q bloodless ceremony. His offer
to effectuate the prompt cession Of the
eudeten regions reveals that Britain
and France still sponsor the surrender
Of them to which President Benes and
former Premier Hodza assented under
pressure a week ago. What is not SO
clear is whether the territory in ques-
ton is the area plotted by Hitler in his
dnal conference with Chamberlain.
Prague. under Anglo-French pressure.
agreed to part with the region broadly
known as the Sudetenland, but the far
flung geographical dimensions of what
Hitler considers as oppressed" German
provinces comprehend a much bigger
slice of territory than Benes thought he
was bargaining away.
The map attached to the Godesberg
proposals clearly shows the Shylockian
nature of the Nazis' demands. They are
asking czechoslovakia to give up no less
than one-third of her present domain
Not only that, but "sudetenland" is SO
widely distributed, as mapped by Hitler,
that it would ring the remnant of the
republic with menacing line of German
fortihcations and natural defenses like
mountain ranges, from which the Reich
would be able, from strategic points on
the west, north and south, to shoot the
Czechs into submission at will like cattle
penned in q corral. Plans for this
cynical frontier rectification" also call
for unconditional delivery Of every con-
ceivable sort Of property, goods and chat
tells, public and private, within the pre-
scr1bed borders without so much as a
syllable hint of compensation for de-
spoiled farmers, tradesmen, housewives,
or the Czech state. They are the terms
Of q conqueror. They are the Brest-
Litovsk touch. They recall the famous
dictum Of q German statesman soldier
that q vanquished foe should be left
nothing except eyes to weep with" It is
unbelievable that even Chamberlain is
prepared to sanction German spoliation
on any such scale. Parliament, which
has been summoned for tomorrow, may
be expected to say something about that,
as well as other phases of the 1888 version
Of the Hoare-Laval system to partition
independent countries.
Herr Hitler's hysterical harangue,
Enthusiastically beligerent and blus-
tering. is susceptible of the Interpretation
that it closes the door to further nego-
tiation. But the Chancellor did not cate
gorically do that. He ranted about his
utterly exhausted patience" called
President Benes liar in half dozen
different ways, glorified the omnipotence
and invincibility Of the Nazi army and
air corps, boasted Of the indissoluble ties
that bind him to my great friend, Mus
solini," damned democracy up hill and
down dale and disavowed further ter
ritorial ambitions after grabbing German
Czechoslovakia Yet the Nazi war lord
did not in 80 many words assert, affirm
or announce that he will invade Czecho-
slovakia after midnight Friday If the
Csechs do not bend the knee all the way.
There is an unmistakable reason why
der Fuehrer may hesitate to goose-step
his way into the Sudetenland- indeed,
his threat to do 50 was ever more than
Q bullys bluff. While he was panicking
his "heiling" henchmen In the Sport
Palace at Berlin, the British government.
emerging from the tower of indecision it
has occupied since inception of the crisis,
laid some trump cards on the table.
It announced that If the Germans at
tack Czechoslovakia, France will in
stantly march to her assistance; that
Soviet Russia will do likewise, also In
fulhllment of alliance obligations.
whereupon Britain. too. viii Join in the
defense of the Czechs, About the game