Evening star., 1938-05-20
Henlein Goes to London
Should Britain Write Off Czechs She Is Bartering
Away Arms She Might Use, Says Observer.
internal strife or to becoming an out
and out vassal OF Germany.

internal strife or to becoming an out
and out vassal Of Germany.
Enormously Strong Enemy.
A Germany that can depend upon
the neutrality of the Czech army, and
that can get access to the grain fields
Of Hungary and the oil and mines of
Rumania, will be an enormously
strong enemy and an extremely un-
comfortable and domineering friend.
And as 1t happens, Czechoslovakia
has right now more troops, airplanes
and equipment than Great Britain
can train. build, or buy, in any FORE
seeable future, and has announced
that she will use them If her sover-
eighty is threatened.
The only thing that mignt persuade
her not to use them would be II she
were deserted by everybody. Even
then, she might use them.
The Czechs are among the most
realistic people in the world. They
are passionately quiet patriots, who
marched halfway around the world
in the last war to fight on the allied
side for their national freedom. At
that time they took a very long risk.
Right in the heart Of the German
orbit, they joined the allied cause at
the moment when it looked weakest.
And if Czechoslovakia is turned into
another Spain. there will be a great
many people who will march more
than halfway around the world to
defend her cause. Mankind as we'll
as God love those who help themselves.
So, if Britain writes of Czecho-
slovakia, she has no guaranty Of peace,
but barters away arms that she might
use
1t may be that Great Britain has
written America of her books as any
potential source of help in a crisis, but
it ought to be put on the record that
the Chamberlain policy has brought
British stock to an alltime low among
the people of this country. and that
French docility to that policy has had
the same effect on the attitude of
Americans toward France.
This country has no love for the
British Empire. We do have affection
for certain British institutions which
were the parents Of many Of our own;
the same institutions which the British
people are still prepared to defend.
They are the most powerful bonds
that unite the two countries.
A great many Americans who were
in favor of the embargo on arms to
Spain. because they believed that
Great Britain and France were ready
to enforce genuine non-intervention
there, feel that We were sold out. and
became unwittingly the ally OF one
side in the civil war
OF course, there are circles in the
United States who, though they might
prefer to preserve democracy provided
it can be kept sufficiently antiseptic,
are so scared of communism that they
prefer Hitler to Stain, and, like their
British brethren, hope that Hitler will
eventually clean up the bolshevist
menace" or that Germany and Russia
will spring at each others throats and
weaken themselves in war. But these
circles are small.
The only advantages which the
dictatorships possess today derive
from the clearness of their policies
and from the fact that the imagina-
tions of their leaders encompass
wider range Of possibilities.
The failure to comprehend the
d!ctatorial mind is the greatest weak
ness of democracy. Democratic gov
ernments cannot wholly accept the
possibility of war.
The Fascist powers do not put any