Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-04-13

press of Italy, for unknown reasons,
found it expedient to suggest that if
Mussolini had not stepped in, Albania
would have declared war on Yugo-
slavia. Think of it-Albania with its
possibly $4,000 soldiers attacking,
really attacking, superior force such
as the Yugoslavian army of $4,000
men! 1t doesn't make sense-does it?
That is-not outside Italy.
In London and Paris a different
and more plausible explanation was
suggested: 1t is known that Hitler
and Mussolini have been peeved and
panied because the British, the French
and the Polish governments have
formed new mutual defense agree
ment. That has irked the dictators
immensely, and it is thought that
Italy's conquest of Albania was meant
as direct reply to the challenge OF
the democratic nations. It is also
believed that there may be back of
the annexation a definitely drawn
plan for an Italian penetration OF
Greece, and this accounts for the
concentration of British war vessels
in Greek waters reported early this
week.
CONSERVATION.
There was great deal of conster-
nation throughout Europe when news
of Italy's latest adventure spread;
in the first place, it was known that
Hitler and Mussolini had been in tele-
phone communication with one an
other; in the second place, the chiefs
of the German and the Italian gen.
eral staffs had conferred for several
days at Innsbruck, so that Europe
apparently was faced with the fact
of the two fascist nations lining up
against the democracies and defying
them.
There was not only CONSERVATION
but also great deal of actual fear
Great-power statesmen cancelled
their Easter vacations and hurried
to extra cabinet sessions in London,
Paris and elsewhere, and it was gen.
orally admitted that a situation far
more dangerous than any since the
World war had been allowed to de-
velop.
Spain With Fascists.
To make bad things even worse,
announcement was made that General
Francisco Francois Spain had aligned
itself with the so-called anti-commun-
list group, consisting of Germany, Jap
an, Italy and Hungary. This caused
no surprise, for all the world has been
told of the immeasurably valuable
help the German and Italian fasciSts
gave Franco during the Spanish civil
war, but it added to the general feel
ing of unrest, for Franco has an army
of million men, trained by actual
warfare and equipped with the very
best arms.
There is widespread idea that
something is going to happen this
week; in fact, even a date has been
fixed for showdown of some kind,
namely, April Is. On what grounds
that particular date has been selected
as an ominous one, is not yet known,
and it may be that it is conjecture
without any foundation in facts. But
the truth is, however, that these days
are likely to become a turning point
in the affairs of Europe and-who
knows?-the United States.
Deeper Causes.
At the time of the Munich confer
ence a little more than half year
ago plenty of denunciation was
poured upon the heads of those OBJ
servers who accused Chamberlain and
Daladier of stupidity and bad faith
when they sold out Czechoslovakia to
Hitler. Observers who criticized the
action, were told that after all, Cham
berlain prevented war, and even
though the cost was great, it was
better so than going to war.
Of course, one needed no special
farsightedness at that time to realize
that what took place was no preven-
ton of war, merely postponement
until such a time as Great Britain
and France were ready to fight. A
few days ago they announced they
were ready, come what may.
Natural Sequel.
But at Munich where the Sudeten-
land was torn away from Czecho-
slovakia and where the way was
paved for the country's complete de-
struction in March of this year, the
attack on Albania also became pos
sibility, for the dictators began to
understand that they could offer the
democracies almost any insult and
get away with it. The conquest of
Albania is the natural and logical
sequel to the Munich proceedings,
and there is at this moment no way
of telling how far the dictators will
be permitted to 60. Yes, perhaps this:
At the moment Germany or Italy af-
feet interests that are vital to Great