The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-12-29

going on this week. The ! Christmas peace move, but 1t has reverberated to Q sort of sotto eresoendo since,
 Out of these whispers 1t is pos- sible to weave together one fair. ly definite fact:
 Certain powerful forces both
 In Germany and England would
 not be at all aversc to patching
 up their show. and then cncour-
 aging a polltico.religious war
 against Soviet Russia.
 This would meet with the very decided approval of Italy, And there are potent people in the D. 8. State Department also who would welcome such e move. Whether the Myron Taylor mis. sion to Rome, Just initiated by Roosevelt, will take this turn TO. mains to be seen-but 1t may.
 For some time now, the State Department and the White House have been getting informal sug. gestions from Germany that the Hitler government would be glad to see Roosevelt step In to arrange c peace, These suggestions al- ways have come 70 informally that they could not be pinned directly upon Hitler, but most of them could be traced back to the No. 2 Nazi, Hermann ooering.
 doering, of course, is c compara- tive moderate never wanted war, represents tho Saner, practical elo- ments in the German army. How ever, he is still the closest man to Hitler, and it seems doubtful that these peace suggestions would come without Hitler's knowledge and consent. RUssIA's GREAT MISTAKE
 Three factors are important in considering tho possibility Of peace. ono Is the situation in Russia second iS tho situation In Germany; third k tho situation In England. Here Is Q brief sum- mary of all three:
 The situation In Russia dates back to the eve Of the attack upon Finland, ct which time Foreign Minister Molotoff told e high ans bassador in the Moscow diplomatic corps that the fracas with Finland would Do over in exactly Six days. Four days more would Do neces- sary, he said, to mop up, making . total of ten days for tho whole business.
 At that time tho foreign dip- lomats in Moscow believed him. So also did Germany.
 But that was nearly 2 months
 ago. And today they do not be.
 lleve him. Furthermore, they
 do not believe that the much.
 vaunted Red army k anything
 more than c paper army.
 For the uncensorcd military dis. patches which the .. s. govern. ment gets from the Finnish front indicate that tho very severe TO. verses suffered by the Russians have been oue, not to the forco of tho Finnish Army lheroiC but weak, but to tho inefficlency Of the Russians themselves.
 staiin's great mistake was to lot the world penetrate tho myth of tho Red Ariny'S omnipotence. NAZIs EYE THE UKRAINE
 The situation In Germany has been completely changed py tho Russian reversos. Members Of the general staff. who accepted tho Russian alliance As an important aid In tho conquest Of Poland, now admit that they overestimated tho strength both of the Polish army and Of the Russian.
 Hitler's goal. as outlined In "Mein Kaimpf" always was tho Russian Ukraine, and now more Of the men around him are con. vinced that he was right.
 Therefore. the 0Oering group would be willing tO have presl. dent Roosevelt call . peace con. ference at which Great Britain end Germany would adjust their differences. Poland would be 70 -crested Into . smaller state, Germany keeping tho Corridor. CxechosIevakIa would Dc made . Bemi- independent monarchy, and 0ermany's future expen- wouId be at the expenuse of Russia.
 How fer these peace views TOD. resent what is going on in the mind of Adolf Hitler is hard to say. but there ig no question that