Evening star., 1939-03-05
Britain and France Pin Peace
Guaranty Hopes on America
Victims of Fascist Humiliation Listen for Mighty
Voice of United States at Conference Table
Changing Dictaors' Tunes
BY Constantine Brown.

That Great Britain and France are in
states is automatic today. They have
been wasting time, believing that wishful
thoughts might become realities, and
have been left far behind the Rome
Berlin axis in material and moral war
preparations. Britain today actually has
10000 men less than it had in July, 1914,
to send to the European mainland.
In aviation, in artillery and modern
motorized forces, Great Britain and
France are still long way behind the
totalitarians. Because of these indis-
putable facts, Germany, Italy and Japan
have adopted an attitude of surrender
or fight" Britain and France are not
prepared to fight, nor can the present
governments endure if they face sur
render.
While the French more realistic in
politics than the British, consider the
situation hopeless and have adopted an
Oriental fatalism, the British, under the
leadership of Premier Neville Chamber
lain, still believe that "St. Georges cav
alry'-British gold-can defeat the will
of Hitler and Mussolini. To sharp prov
ocation by the totalitarians-the presence
of Italian motorized divisions on the
Egyptian border, the bombing by Jap
anese airplanes of the crown colony of
Hong Kong, the occupation of the Island
of Hainan despite definite agreement to
the contrary between Paris and Toxic
Mr.. Chamberlain replies by sending trade
missions to the Reich to improve Anglo
German economic relations. They are
received with scorn by Berlin authorities
who today cannot envision peace by COM
mercial and economic agreements But
in the back of their minds the French
and the British statesmen look toward
the United States as their one and only
hope for either peace or eventual victory.
Propaganda Sweeps U. S.
AS is inevitable in any crisis of the
magnitude Of the present one, this coun-
try is being swept with propaganda;
some well meaning and some pernicious
Emotionalism is at its peak. Many look
back to the past and argue in terms of
what happened on similar occasions
Only a few will admit that the world
conflict which started with the conquest
of Ethiopia, of Manchuria and the re-
militarization of the Rhine cannot be put
on the same plane with past wars when
leaders sent their men to death merely
for the purpose of elf-aggrandizement
The forthcoming conflict, if it cannot be
avoided, will be a struggle to death be-
tween nations representing two opposed
political philosophies-the totalitarian
philosophy, wherein the state is supreme
and the individuals servants of the
state, and the constitutional idea, which
considers the state the servant OF the
individual
The Treaty of Versailles-the original
cause of the downfall of Europe-has
ceased to exist save in name The most
atroclous injustice to a defeated group
OF nations has been suppressed by Hitler
and Mussolini. The main cause of
grievance for the have-nots has thus
disappeared. There still hangs fire the
matter of the colonies which were an
nexed by the British and the French
after the last war under the disguise of
mandates. There is also question of
Britain and France paying a past-due
note to Italy, which, in the inebriation
of victory, France and Great Britain
overlooked. But neither of these prob
lens is sufficiently important to make
conflict inevitable. There is no doubt
that meeting around the green table
would result in Italy and Germany OBJ
tanning most Of their demands. There
are still some minor states like Portugal
and Belgium which possess large colonial
holdings and consequently could be
sacrificed on the altar of peace.
Want Victory by Humiliation.
But this is not what Hitler and Mus
solini desire; they want concessions to
be the result Of threats; they want their
victories to be accompanied by the
humiliation of the western states. Those
magnificent stone buildings, the founda-
tions OF which have been eaten by
termites, would collapse at the slightest
earthquake" said Count Ciano in dis
cussing the power of resistance of the
London Paris coalition.
Tangible proof of this attitude was re-
vealed by the demonstration in the
Italian Chamber on November 30, 1898.
when Italy pegged her claims on French
colonial possessions. The Italian govern
ment was we'll aware that the French
were anxious to come to terms with Aneir
Latin sister" at almost any price-pro-
vided the face Of. France was saved.
There had been clear hints from Paris
and London that the Italians could have
Djibouti. All that was necessary, Mus
solini had been told, was to start diplo-
matte negotiations to enable the French
to prepare public opinion and find the
modality Of a nominal payment.
But Mussolini turned deaf ear to this
suggestion. He wanted to conquer, not
to buy. Count Ciano, on November 27,
had long interview with the French
Ambassador to Rome, Andre Francois
Poncet. The Duce's son-in-law never
once mentioned during the Commute
conversation Tunis. Pjibcuti or any kind
Of Italian territorial revendicAtion. Yet