Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-06-15
International
News Review
BY GEORG sTRANDvOLn

Two of the possible reasons for
the delay in completing negotiations
for an Anglo-Russian military alli-
ance are gradually becoming appar-
ent. One seems to be Chamberlain s
wish to reach some sort of amicable
understanding with Hitler concern
ing the general European situation,
and the other, the officially announced
opposition of Pope Plus XII to pact
between London and Moscow.
Chamberlain, evidently not yet dis
illusioned by the failure of his cap
peasement" policy of last fall, is about
to try it once more; he still clings
desperately to the idea that Great
Britain can make friends with the
dictator-ruled powers, and is reported
to be willing to cancel his plans for
an alliance with the Soviet govern
ment-if Germany and Italy are ready
to ''talk peace"
AS for the pope-he has made it
very clear that he looks with contempt
at modern Russia whose policy he
considers dangerous to the continued
existence of the church; he believes
that Russian influence on European
affairs ought to be reduced to the
tinieSt possible minimum. And as
though to make doubly sure that his
attitude toward fascist nations be-
comes manifest, he last Sunday
greeted 5000 of Fascist General Fran
cisco Francois Spanish soldiers as
heroes and defenders of faith and
civilization.
German Peace Plan?
While Chamberlain apparently is
about to resume his efforts at ap-
preaching Hitler and Mussolini, and
while Pope Plus demonstrates his
faith in the fundamentals of fascism
Hitler is reported to be ready to offer
Europe what is vaguely characterized
as peace plan. According to word
from Berlin such a plan will be made
public some time in July, but in
what direction it will go, and how
wide its scope will be, is not known
But it is expected that if he has
any such offer to present, it will be
predicated on the abandonment OF
the plans for an Anglo-Russian alli-
ance. Such combination, to which
of course, France, already an ally OF
both Russia and Great Britain, auto
matically will adhere, is likely to
constitute the only factor which Hit
Ter fears Neither he nor Mussolini
looks with favor on such grouping
realizing that if Britain, France and
Russia join forces, even the combined
strength of the dictators will become
secondary. So, he is likely to &C
pretty far in order to avert the threat
of such grouping. Whatever pro-
posal he may be preparing to offer
one can be pretty sure in advance
that he will demand as condition
the cancellation of Anglo-Russian al
lance plans.
Dictator Front.
The Anglo-Russian negotiations are
however, by no means off, and Will
liam Strang, head of the Central
European division of the British for
eign office, has gone to Moscow to as
certain what may be done about the
treaty which his government so ar
IDENTIFY desires, and which Russia viii
sign only on condition that it becomes
in very literal sense, reciprocal.
In the meantime, the dictators are
;. also building up their own front. A
short time ago, as was reported here
Galeazzo Ciano, Italy's foreign min
lister, was in Berlin where he and his
German colleague, Joachim Won Rib
bentrop, signed German-Italiar
military alliance treaty. Now, it is
learned, Ciano is due in Madrid or
or about June 81 for the apparent pur-
pose of inducing General Franco to
join Hitler and Mussolini. It has
long been known, of course, that
Franco and the other dictators form
a unit in European alignments, but
in Berlin and Rome it is desired that
a formal alliance be signed.
During the last few days when
German and Italian soldiers, return
ing from the battlefelds of Spain
have been eulogized, it has been en-
phasized that Germany and Italy took
a strong and active part in the Span
ish civil war from the very begin
ming in spite of the fact that both
powers had joined the non-interven-
ton committee, comprising 81 nations
in spite of the fact that these two
powers, along with the others, had
placed themselves under obligation
not to take any part in Spain's war
Now that it is all over, and now that
the foreign soldiers have returned
to their homelands, there is not only
no intention to gloss over the fact
of German and Italian participation
but there has been shown very
frank and distinct tendency to gloat
over the contribution which German
and Italian soldiers made to Francois
victory.
Royal Visit.
The king and the queen of Great
Britain have spent few days in the
United States-at Washington, New
York and President Roosevelt's home
at Hyde Park, N. Y. The royal visit
may, as some suggest, have political
implications, but probably not as