Evening star., 1938-12-07
Diplomatic Circles
Are Neptita| Of
Franto-Reith Pact
Eastern Europe and Not
Boundaries Has Been
Main Trouble
Ry PERTINAX.

BY PEKTlNAA.
PARIS. Dec. 7 (N.A.N.A).-Diplo-
matte circles here are not inclined
to attach too much Importance to
the Franco-German declaration
signed yesterday
The explanation of the skepticisn
professed by most observers is that
controversies about common FROM
tiers have, for a long time, been
pushed to the background by both
France and Germany. The rela-
tions of both countries with third
powers, and particularly with those
OF Central and Eastern Europe, are
really at the root of the warlike dan
ger they have to face from time to
time.
Obviously the German Reich
strives for hegemony, while France S
traditional policy is to enter into
commitments toward the Slavic ma
t1ons IN order to provide some kind
OF equilibrium. In that respect, the
Franco-German declaration leaves
things very much as they were, and
the talk between French Foreign
Minister Bonnet and German For
eign Minister Won Ribbentrop which
followed signature of the declara-
ton does not seem to have brought
any new factor into play.
Apprehensions for Poland.
Won Ribbentrop did not conceal
IN the least his governments fun
damental hostility to Bolshevism.
and he dealt with the problem of
the Ukraine in such way as to
make his French interlocutorS CM.
Bonnet was assisted by General Sec
retary Leger of the ministry of for
eign affairs apprehensie lest Po-
land should be involved in turmoil.
At the same time, the German for
elgn minister does not appear to
have exerted himself very much to
wrest from M. Bonnet promise to
the effect that France would not
lend more assistance to Warsaw and
Moscow in the Forthcoming months
than she did to Czechoslovakia last
September.
Won Ribbentrop behaved as though
he were convinced that his best
course was to let M. Bonnet find
out by himself his own line of ad-
vance, as Germany ought not to be
afraid of what he would attempt to
accomplish.
So as to conciliate French policy,
win its assent to the German design
and further disgruntle French asso-
c1ates in the East, there are indi-
cations that Won Ribbentrop de-
clared France might profitably share
In the trade of Central and East
ern Europe provided she refrained
from challenging Germany's domi-
nant position in that part of the
continent.
1t has been expected during the
last few days that NJ Bonnet would
seize the opportunity to compel Won
Ribbentrop to indicate to what ex-
tent the German Reich was bound
to support Fascist Italy in her
Spanish, Mediterranean and North
African undertakings, but the
French minister does not appear to
have been really exacting in his
cross-examination of the German
foreign minister on that point.
Therefore, M. Bonnet entertains to-
night the complacent belief that
German influence is likely to act as
q brake upon Italian impetuosity.
Reich Wants Free Hand.
To sum up, the truth is that the
German rulers wish above every
thing else to have a free hand in
Eastern Europe: that they expect
more or less that, in practice, France
will not seriously interfere with
their plans, but they do not regard
It as possible that the French cabi-
net will formally pledge itself, in
50 many words, to remain neutral;
that they mean to stick to their con-
nection with Italy, but are resolved
to see to it that Fascist diplomacy,
for purposes of its own, shall not
make them sWerve from their main
line of action.
The conclusion to be drawn from
the above is that the Franco-Ger-
man declaration and the exchange
Of views now in progress will not
materially alter the European situ-
alton as it has existed since Munich.
OF today's happenings Premier
Daladier and M. Bonnet will make
use IN order to add some plausibility
to the theory that the settlement of
September 80 has really opened up
an era of paciflcation, and the Ger
man government will use it to con-
vince its own people that they need
not feel too deply disturbed by the
moral condemnation that the Brit
ish and American nations have
passed upon their pogrom.
tCopyright, 1888, by the North American
Newspaper Alliance, Inc)