Evening star., 1939-12-03
Secret Peace Overtures Grow
Despite Russ0>Finnish Crisis
Goering Is Regarded Acceptable to Allies if Hitler
Is Ousted-Communsm and Anarchism
Threat Is Feared
Bv Constantine Bro,pn.


is essential that the economic wastage
inherent in the present war should
cease as soon as possible.
Field Marshal Goering Is not sticking
his neck out He has no direct or in
direct commerce with the present en-
emies of the Reich. He still takes the
position that at this time the Reich is
involved in life and death war, that
those whom Germany is fighting, re-
gardless of their concealed thoughts and
ideas, are the enemies of the country.
Hence, he has remained impervious to
all the hints he has recently received
from the outside world In order not to
rouse suspicion as to his own position in
the present struggle, Goering Cancelled
his visit to Rome, where he was sup
posed to 60 and reassure II Duce of the
scope and intent of the present German
Russian alliance. He is staying home
and is getting the Reich's aviation ready
to perform its task when and if the
Fuehrer and the general staff decide that
the air force must enter into action on a
large scale. But his thoughts and ideas
we're expressed by him repeatedly, before
the war started, to British and French
statesmen and nothing of what he told
these people has been proven insincere
or incorrect yet.
The field marshal never told either Sir
Neville Henderson or Ambassador Fran
co.'s Poncet-before the latter was trans
ferred to Rome-that Germany could
forego the possession of Danzig and the
Corridor. He told them that he himself
was urging the Fuehrer to stop at noth-
ing to complete the refrigeration of Ger
man territory as it was before the war.
He also informed these Ambassadors of
the necessity Of Austria becoming part
of the Reich-he emphasized chiefly the
favored annexation of the Sudetenland.
But he was lukewarm when the question
of the annexation of the rest of Czecho-
Slovakia came up and yielded only after
he realized the strategic Importance of
such move. When, before Henderson
definitely left Berlin, he expressed the
opinion that Czecho-Slovakia should be
reinstated as an Independent state with
in Germany's sphere of influence, he
voiced definite policy which the British
diplomat is convinced will be fulfilled
should Goering head the German ma
ton.
Peace Views Coincide.
Fundamentally, there is no great diff
ference between the German and allied
points of view regarding the re-establisn-
ment of peace in Europe. They both
agree to reconstruction of Poland more
or less along the lines of the German
demands last March. They both agree
that the only solution for the thorny
question of repartition of raw materials
must be sought in the establishment of
an economic confederation of Europe on
national lines. That is to say, while each
nation must keep its national character
and its form of government, the trade
barriers and the spheres of influence
must disappear. They must be replaced
by en- equal opportunity to trade, and
there must be abolition of trade barriers
and monopolies which are fundamentally
the basis of the present conflict.
Where the present German govern
ment and the allies disagree is on the
question of the individual who should
head the German government. And here
the difference is fundamental
To the allegation of certain Germans
that Chamberlain and Churchill are as
obnoxious to the German people as Hit
IN fna q f1A nrift fteI,
that the tenure Of Office of the two men
is limited, They can retire into private
life by mere general election Churchill
came back to Office only because there is
national emergency in Great Britain
which demands man of that type in
the government. The same thing can
be said about every member of the
French government But Hitler has
forced himself into his position; there is
no vote that can get him out nor any
authority like that of the British Par
lament and the King that can dispose
OF him. He is the autocratic ruler of the
Reich and will remain so, if a peace
signed by him is concluded. Because Of
this difference between the allied system
OF government and the German, the
leaders of France and Britain cannot
take another chance of dealing with the
Fuehrer. They are prepared, however.
to call the war off as soon as any other
German with the exception of Hitler's
henchmen-Goebbels, Won Ribbentrop,
etc.-is in Office.
War Enthusiasm Missing.
The people of Europe are war-weary
before the war has actually started. In
none of the bellgerent countries-and
still less in the neutral countries which
are all threatened with war-can there
be reused any enthusiasm such as has
been stirred in all previous wars. The
mood of the people in all these countries
is becoming uglier every day. The ha-
bitual way Of living has ceased. Even
the proflteers are disgruntled because
they know they are only making paper
profits. The men in the trenches and
behind the Notifications are bored.
Those who were released soon after the
general mobilization have lost hope and
find that they can no longer continue
their old occupations. Their means of
production have been taken away from
them: the war restrictions make ordi-
nary industry impossible. Normal trade
with foreign countries is drastically
limited. The people are doing what they
are being ordered to do-for the time
being-because the long arm of the
laws would get them other