Evening star., 1938-09-26
.PARLEY |NLONDON
C[AR|F|ESISSUES
Hitler Is Given Chance to
Take SudetenIand on
Certain Rules.
Ry PERTnAx.

~ PERTINAx.
PARIS, Sept 10 (NAN.A.).-we
feel that We may b nearer . European
war than at any time before.
The result Of the French cabinet
council yesterday and of the Franco
British conference which followed I'm
mediately In London has been to make
. clear issue Of the tangled osecho-
slovak problem.
Chancellor Hitler IL given an oppor-
tunity to annex the German districts
OF Csechoslovakia, provided hs--oon-
1orms to certain rules Of international
practice, keeps within the bounds Of
An agreement which will have to be
concluded with the government Ut
Prague, treats that government a. .
sovereign and Independent body and
tolerates that It should keep, under
one form or Anotherr. its existing asso-
cation With France and Soviet Russia
ana form = new association with
Britain, which now realizes more and
more that 0ermany's domination Of
Central Europe would bid fair to
invest her with . crushing economic
and military hegemony.
In other words, the Paris and Lon.
DON cabinets stick to their proposals.
o. september ~. which, a. they b..
lieved then. fully responded to the
requests expressed by the Fuehrer
when he met Prime Minister Cham
berlain At Berchtesgaden for the frst
time. But they resist the further de.
mand that Hitler put forward At
Godesherg and set out fully tn the
memorandum that Mr.. Chamberlain
brought back to London, because they
consider that, II the Reichswehr seised
Czechoslovakia's fortified lines before
provisions had been made for safe
guarding that country,s minimum In
dependence, no limit whatever could
be set afterward to 0ermanys co.,
quests.
Could Expana Further.
Hitler's interest seemingly would be
to accept the Franco British offer
which French Foreign Minister Bon-
net and Viscount Halifax British for
eisn secertary. compelled Benes to in.
dorse on September 20, since, within
four or five weeks, Csechoslovakia .
fortified belt would fan within his
grasp, the whole Czechoslovak mili-
tary system. which rests on that belt,
would crumble down, and he would
be practically at liberty to trample
upon all the arrangements worked out
to prevent the national Socialist em-
pire from hdulging In unlimited ex-
pansion. q
But, on the other hand, Hitler fears
that the violent movement he has
brought about throughout Germany
for the redemption Of Germanism in
Csechoslovakia, and, more generally,
in the whole Of Central and South
eastern Europe. would speedily lose its
momentum If he had to call halt to
wait for the conclusion or task as
signed to an international commits
SION that would superintend all the
transfers Of territory. that. meanwhile,
the Czechoslovak and French govern
ments would make the most Of the
delay to complete defensive prepara-
tions and that the former might
strive to make use of any fresh de-
velopment - . pretext to resume free
dom Of action. break loose from the
Franco Brittsh proposals Of Septem-
Der IL and refuse to withdraw it,
troops from their fortincations. More
over, Hitler suspects that IN inter-
national commission would do it, best
to leave the skoda munitions works
on the Czech side Of the frontier.
Fears Csech- Russian Ce-spsratisn.
He Is keenly apprehensivs Of czecho-
slovak- Russian cooperation, which
appears to be more extensive than
had been assumed BY most. It has
been ascertained that, three weeks
ago, 300 military planes were taken
out Of the Soviet air force and dis
patched to Prague, and that 4 Rus
sian-Czechoslovak understanding is in
existence whereby the Czechoslovak
Army. once it has been compelled to
retreat. would be given shelter on Rus
sian soil and from that base continue
the struggle.
The Wilhelmstrasse appears to have
been taken aback by the sudden inter-
vendon Of Russian diplomacy in War
saw on Friday. When Lipsky, the
Polish Ambassador, called to INQUIRE
about the help that would be lent
Poland In case the Red army should
counter-attack, only an evasive answer
was returned. and Hitler, then in
Godesberg. most vehemently reacted to
the news when it reached him on the
telephone.
keaehsWehr Fears Breakdevn.
Such are the reasons which may
finally turn Hitler toward flnal adop-
ton Of = bellicose policy and impel
him to order the Reichswehr to pass
the Czechoslovak border about October
l. Against them, the higher command
Of the Reichswehr still initiates, point
ing out that victory cannot reasonably
be expected to be won within three
short months, and that, were the cam
paisn to last longer. = breakdown Of
the German nation would b reckoned
as possibility.
On Sunday, the French Cabinet
Council was led by Premier DalAdier,
who overruled n. Bonnet, courageously
faced the facts and resolved to put An
end to the diplomatic stampede Of the
last week.
1t u painful to think that, . abort
while ago. such bold attitude would
certainly have averted war. 30 late
In the day, when oermany's military
machine u in full swing, It cannot Be
asserted with confidence that We shan
be spared the worst
tcopyTitht, 1888. b. the North American
Newspaper Alliance. Ine.)