Evening star., 1939-10-08
History Repeats Itself


There is no indication that Presi-
dent Roosevelt will fall into the
peace trap Berlin has set for him.
Inspired" sources in the Wilhelm
strasse, which means Nazi govern
ment spokesmen, utilizing Hitler's
Reichstag speech as springboard,
have launched the suggestion that
there is still glorious opportunity
for Mr.. Roosevelt, as head of the
largest neutral power, to step in and
gather copious laurels" We're the
American President, it is added, "to
come forward with a proposal for an
armistice, Chancellor Hitler would
accept Internationally" AS further
bait, Berlin bangles before Wash
ington the possibility that the Reich
government might even consent to
the holding of a peace conference
here or somewhere else in the
Americas, "far from the scene of
the European strife"
1t is no unprecedented gesture
that the Germans put forth. In De-
cember, 1916, while the cause of the
Central Powers was still in the as
cendant, though Germany was pro-
gressively feeling the pinch of the
blockade, the Kaiser's government
announced its willingness to enter
into peace egotiations-under con-
ditions not dissimilar from those
Nazi Germany now faces Berlin's
language, like Hitler's in the Reichs-
tag last Friday, was bonlbastic and
truculent. 1t breathed of the Reich's
'unconquerable strength" and of its
gigantic advantages" over it's ad-
versaries, despite inferiority in num-
bers and war material. Like Hitler,
the kaiser's spokesmen limited at the
futlllty of the wars continuance, the
return of Germany's colonies, annex
alton of large part of Serbia to
ustria-Hungary and settlement of
the Balkan question by a general
European conference. It was appar-
ent to all concerned-as it is ap-
parent today-that the handspring
of Germany's zeal for peace was
the realization that she wished to
negotiate while her fortunes were at
high tide and in the consciousness
that the military situation was more
favorable than it was likely ever to
be again.
The allies promptly characterized
the German offer as a sham pro-
posal' and war maneuver" too trans
parent for serious consideration.
They declared, as Britain and France
are now declaring, their unwilling
ness to treat unless Germany and
her confederates were ready to make
adequate reparation for the past and
adequate security for the future. In
his maiden speech to the House of
Commons as Prime Minister, David
Lloyd George quoted Lincoln in a
like situation-"We accepted the war
for an object, worthy object. The
war will end when that object is at
tanned. Under God, I hope it will
never end until that time!"
There are definite, practical rea-
sons why President Roosevelt could
not at this stage, succumb to Nazi
Establishments about the chance for
glory that would await him as peace
maker. In the first place he could
tender no such offer unless assured
in advance that the allies desired
such initiative on his part. In the
second place, the Chief Executive of
the United States could not con-
ceivably essay the role Hitler would
assign him on any such basis. for
peace as the terms of allied sur
render put forth in the Reichstag
speech. That last offer" by the
Fuehrer calls for recognition of the
Polish dismemberment,t the return of
the German colonies, the recognition
of Russo-German hegemony in East
ern and Southeastern Europe and for
other victory terms for Germany
which merit only Anglo-French con-
tempt.
Finally, there is the studied rude
ness which the President and the
United States Government expert
enced at Germany's hands preceding
the outbreak of the present war and
long before to peace appeals address,
ed to the German Chancellor and
former President Moscicki of Poland
on August a. Hitler did not reply
until his troops had actually moved
against the Poles. When he did
answer, it was to accuse Poland of
provoking a situation which barred
mediation. In one year Mr.. Roose-
velt sent five appeals to Hitler-and
only the first and last were answered
through diplomatic channels. The
third appeal, in which the President
last April offered himself as trans
mitting agent for non-aggression
pledges between Germany and vari-
Gus European and Asiatic nations,
was rejected by Hitler in a bitter
public speech.
Under all the circumstances,