The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1939-11-23

chances for peace seem mighty
slim, and growing thinner every
passing day. To illustrate this.
some bets were laid in mid-Septem-
Der that peace would come before
November |, this year. The odds
were 10 to against peace, but new
ertheiess there were takers of the
long shot.
Hoio Shretud Political
Observers Dope 1t Out
The logic of those betting on peace
was that, having conquered Poland
and obtained all the detectives over
which the war started, Hitler would
make reasonable peace offer, and
that France and Britain, hopeless
of liberating Poland, would accept
Hitler's offer.
The shrewdest political observ-
ers here believe that if the war is
still going on next June and next
November, politicians running for
office will benefit by having cast a
vote calculated to help Britain and
France, and suffer by the reverse,
except in number of congression-
al districts so small as not to have
much national significance. # the
United States should meantime
have gotten into the war, it is true,
the pro-embargo side might be able
to say II told you So, but that
would not be very good political
medicine for country in the fresh
fury of war fever, sound as it
might be four years later.
Hear German army Officers
Plotted Souiet Tie-Up r
One of the reasons being given in
well-informed diplomatic circles
here in Washington for the Soviet
Nazi pact is the utter distrust by
the high German army officers of
Italy. Not that they distrusted Mus
solini's intentions. What they lacked
confidence in was the fighting abil-
ity of the Italian army and navy.
Further, they regarded Italy as be-
ing highly vulnerable to attack by
Britain and France. Altogether
they figured that, as an ally, Italy
would be a liability rather than an
asset.
According to these reports, based
on excellent authority, the high Ger
man officers had been plotting for
the tie-up with the Soviet for many
years. Some of the authorities
place the conception of the notion
In German army circles as far back
as 1928. w. G. Krivitzky. in his ar
ticles in the Saturday Evening Post,
has told his own conviction that
Stain finally became converted to
the idea Immediately after Hitler's
famous purge. Up to that time
he had doubted whether Hitler was
sufficiently ruthless to stay in pow
er long enough to be real ally.
The two theories, coming from
such widely separated sources, fit
together very nicely. Especially as
the reports about the detectives,
now accomplished, of the high Ger
man officers are that they did not
convince Hitler of the soundness Of
their plans until just prior to the out
break of the war.
The process was very much like
water wearing away rock" said one
of this writer's informants. Hit
Ter did not accept the idea readily
at all. When it was finally put to
him, after long process of letting
him hear this or that report that
the Italian army would be of no
value, and this and that discussion
of how vulnerable Italy would be to
British and French attacks, Hitler
almost had brainstorm.
'What!' he shouted to the Of
ficers at this particular conference.
Tie up Germany with the Commit
ern? Absurd But he had been set
thinking about it, and pretty soon it
became obvioussthat no other course
could be followed.
What the British and French
were thinking about I cannot imag-
inc. But every welkinformed per-
son in Berlin knew what was going
on"