Evening star., 1939-06-29
Benes Is Convinced
Nazi Power Will
Be Crushed
Former Czech Leader
Sees Nations Sacrifice
For Peace in Vain
BY JOSEPH H. BAIRD.

ny JOoLI H H. DA1nO,
The man who allowed the nation
he helped create fall into German
hands rather than plunge Europe
into war-former President Eduard
Benes of Czecho- o-Slovakia-is con-
vinced that Nazi power is destined
to be crushed-"and only then can
Europe have peace"
DR.. Benes sat in the Czecho-
Slovak Legation on Massachusetts
avenue for more than an hour last
night answering the questions of
newspapermen about the Munich
conference and Europe's present
perilous state. Driving home his
statements with thrust of his fore
finger, he emphasized three main
points:
l. Europe is facing a new and
profound crisis" this summer, which
the sacrifices made by Czecho-
Slovakia at Munich last September
did nothing to ailay.
2. Nazi power must end-as the
result of war, revolution or evolu-
tion-before there can be hope of
peace in Europe. Paraphrasing
Abraham Lincoln, DR.. Benes de-
clared: Europe cannot exist half
subjugated and half free"
3. CzechS throughout the world
are organizing to speed restoration
of their homeland.
To Sail for London.
1t is in connection with this world
wide organization program that DR..
Benes is in Washington. He will sail
soon for London to confer with his
fellow expatriates there, he said, but
probably will return to the United
States to resume his lectures in the
University of Chicago. He has been
lecturing there for past semester Oh
Democracy" He declined to say
whether he had an appointment
with President Roosevelt while here
The former President plans to 90
to Washington Cathedral at 1890
am. tomorrow to lay a wreath on
the tomb of former President Will
son and then go to Mount Vernon
at 3 pm. and Arlington National
Cemetery at AIS pm. for similar
ceremonies at the tombs of George
Washington and the Unknown SOL
dier. He will go to New York Satur-
day.
Throughout his interview here DR..
Benes was f1anked on the right by
Col. Vladimir Hurban, Czecho- Slovak
Minister to the United States. who
is still recognized by the State De-
partment despite the official death
Of his government. The Minister
interjected occasional remarks.
Sees profound Crisis"
Europe, DR.. Benes said, is facing
a profound crisis" the apex of a
series which began with the Jap
anese invasion of Manchuria in 1881,
which he regarded as the beginning
Of decay in the worlds peace struc-
ture.
THE problem of Europe today"
DR.. Benes said. "just as in 1914, is
the problem of the rights of small
nations. Czecho-S -Slovakia is only a
part of this larger problem. The
present problem, as compared with
the pre-World War one, has been
complicated and enlarged by italian
claims to Tunisia and Djibouti."
During the early post-Versailles
days, he continued, he had high
hopes of collaboration between
CZecho-Slovakia and GERMANY and
these hopes were given point by
the friendly cooperation of such
democratic statesmen as Foreign
Minister Gustav Stressemann of
Germany and by the signing of the
Locarno pact. This : friendliness
ended, however, with the rise of
Adolf Hitler.
"Nazi-ism can never be satisfied -
DR.. Benes declared 1T could have
been stopped only in the beginning
The more powerful it grows, the
more serious the crises become
which result from this power.
War Not Inevitable.
conditions in Germany today are
much more autocratic than in i'm
perial Germany, for the power of
the Kaiser was restrained by the
presence of a large liberal bloc in
the German Parliament"
Declaring Germany is a nation
whose people are divided among
themselves, the Czech statesman
predicted Nazi power is bound to
crumble either through war, revo-
luton at home or of its evolution