Evening star., 1939-03-10
Chamberlain Thinks
Pact 10 Limit Arms
Possible This Year
Fronco-ItoIion Accord
Also Is Believed
Possible Now
BY WILLIAM H. STONEMAN,

BY WILLIAM H. STONEMAN,
Chicago Daily News Foreign Correspondent
LONDON, March 10-Keyed up
by the same buoyant optimism which
has seized most British conserva-
tives since the collapse of the Span
ish Republican government, Prime
Minister Neville Chamberlain now
believes that F'ranco-Italian
agreement In the Mediterranean and
some kind of arms limitation pact
may be achieved during the course
of the present year.
So, at least, he indicated to repre-
sentatives of leading British news
papers who met him in a special
audience arranged at his own be-
hest yesterday afternoon. Speak
ing in what was described as his
most self-assured tone, he painted
an almost glowing picture of the
European situation, minimized the
Importance of the problems which
have appeared to exist between
France and Italy and Great Britain
and Germany, and gave his listeners
a fair idea of how he next intended
to pursue achievement.
Risks Rousing French.
Mr.. Chamberlain based his op-
timistic attitude upon the fact that
the Spanish war was drawing to a
close and upon the hope that Pre-
mier Benito Mussolini, who had re-
fused to come to an understanding
with the French while the war was
still going on, might now agree to
do so.
At the risk of arousing the French,
who have indicated their desire to
settle their own problems with Italy,
Mr.. Chamberlain suggested that
Italy was not serious about Corsica
and Nice and that her other claims
in regard to the Adds Ababa-
Diibouti railway and the status Of
Italians in Tunisia might be settled
by negotiation. The implication was
that the British should press France
to satisfy what the British converva-
tives regard as the legitimate claims
of Mussolini.
If such an agreement could be
concluded between France and Italy
the Prime Minister continued, Sit
uation would be created in which
some more ambitious attempt at the
pacification of Europe might be
made. This, he indicated, should
take the form of disarmament or
arms limitation agreement" though
he was careful to say that any such
agreement might be an extremely
modest one at the start.
This remark of MIR. Chamberlain's
resulted in what may be regarded
either as an unhappy or an ex-
tremely cynical coincidence. Almost
at the very moment that he was
speaking to the gentlemen of the
press in this vein Air Minister Sir
Kingsley Wood was telling the
House of Commons that Britain
would spend f2O5 ,0o0, 900 on the air
force during the coming year, the
largest peacetime appropriation for
any air force in history. Twenty
four hours before War Minister
Leslie HOre-BellSha had told the
same body that Britain had finally
decided to send an expeditionary
force of 10 divisions to France at the
outbreak of war. AS recently as
February 20 Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer Sir John Simon had an
nounced the intention of the gov
ernment to spend total of $685.
100000 on rearmaments during the
coming year, an increase of f174,-
100000 over the current year.
Bares Attitude on Reich.
Thereupon, Mr.. Chamberlain pro-
ceeded to elucidate his current at
titude toward Germany. AS had
been suspected it was still one of
great confidence in the desire and
ability of decent elements" in Ger
many to come to terms with Britain
The Price Minister expressed the
view that the outbursts of Propa-
ganda Minister DR.. Paul Joseph