Evening star., 1938-02-16
HANDS-0Ff POLICY ]
IS limited BY EDEN
Would Be Followed But Tor
ItaIy's Demand for Free
Austria, He Says.
~ the Associa ted Prese.

~ tne ASeOCiete0 PIeeS. y,
LONDON, Feb. ls.-Forsign 0ocre-
tary Anthony Eden strongly tnamAtsd
to an anxious Parliament today that
without Italian support for protsc-
tion Of Austria's independence Britain
would adopt . hands-on policy.
The foreign secretary faced the
House Of Commons after = cabinet
meeting which had considered the
crisis arising from the sweeping gov
ernmental changes IN Austria at BE-
hest of Reischsfuehrer Hitler.
3-Pswer Declaration Recalled.
Eden was asked hatly whether
Britain still stood by the three -powsr
declaration issued four years ago TO-
morrow. supporting Austria's inde-
pendence. He replied:
X suppose he the questioner) y
referring to the Stresa declaration.
That u quite true. That is the decla-
ration Of the three governments of
Britain, France and Italy. Italy has
not yet consulted his majssty's gov
ernment in this matter"
Pressed further for aasurAncee that
the governments policy toward inde-
pendence remains the same ~ stated
on the last occasion in this house."
Mr. Eden answered:
AS far as I recollect, what I stated
was that what his majesty's govern
ment desired In Central Europe and
elsewhere was peace and good UNDER
standing"
Previously the British cabinet had
considered Germany's new thrust
toward absorption of Austria, but there
was no indication 1t was planning any
active steps to prevent such an out
come Of the developments in Vienna.
The foreign ONCE WAS In frequent
consultation with Paris. But the Lon
don press. while rejecting British
concern over the fate of Austria and
other Central European countries.
also voiced = desire for . hands-of1
policy.
IL VIAL VOhC[SSlOuN W
Reichsfuehrer Hitler in reoreaniza-
ton Of her cabinet were widely in
terpreted here as \ prelude to even
tual surrender Of her independence
and more active NaA policy
throughout all Central Europe
Effect On Allies Watched.
Under discussion between London
and Paris were possible effects of
Austria's yielding on Frances east
ern allies. Czechoslovakia, Rumania
and Yugoslavia.
Ofncial circles were carefully nom
committal concerning any possibility
Of British ofiicial action. saying merely
there was no change in the govern
ment's 1884 policy.
Informed persons natly denied that
Britain, through her Ambassador to
Berlin, Sir Neville Henderson, had en-
couraged Germany's pressure on Aus
tria
They reiterated the view Of the Brit
ish and French governments that any
settlement of Austro- German difIicul-
ties should NJ part Of . general Euro
pean appeasement, refusing t0 admit
Hitler's contention that Austro- Ger
man relations were family matters.
Diplomatic quarters described Ber-
lin reports of Henderson's activities
as designed to involve British respon-
dbility in Hitler's action and make it
more difncult for the British govern
ment to protest. Berlin dispatches
said Henderson carried extremely i'm
portant messages when he returned
to Berlin from London February s.,
European diplomats generally await
ed anxiously a full clarification of
Germany's intentions toward Austria.
French Foreign Minister Yvon Delbos
and the British Ambassador, Sir Eric
Phipps, conferred hastily shortly be-
fore midnight last night, rejecting
official anxiety.