Evening star., 1939-08-31
Hitler Move Expected
To Answer Britain'.s
Fleet Mobilization
Allies Seen PIoyine
Highest Cords in.
Bottle of Nerves
BY WILLIAM H. STONEMAN,

BY WILLIAM H. STONEMAN,
CHICAGO Daily News Foreisn Correspondent.
LONDON, Aug. 31.-A dramatic
step by Fuehrer Adolf Hitler In
reply to the mobilization of the
British fleet this afternoon is ex.
pected within the next few hours,
it was reported by telephone from
German sources this evening. A
summons of the Reichstag or
proclamation to the German people
are two of the moves which it Is
considered possible that he may
take
Great Britain played the last,
highest and perhaps decisive cards
in its battle of nerves with Ger
many this afternoon by mobiliina
the feet and announcing that al
principal cities in its danger zone
would be evacuated beginning to-
morrow.
When these two measures are
put into effect Britain will be as
completely prepared for war as
she has ever been in her history.
Thereby Britain will show Germany
and the world that she is ready for
anything that may happen and
fully prepared to go through to the
bitter finish OF the titanic diplo-
matte struggle in which she is now
engaged with Hitler.
100000 to Be Moved,
1t Is estimated that 5000 900
people, Of whom half are children,
will have to leave their homes dur.
ing the course of this gigantic exer-
else. OF this number, 300 900 will
come from the London area, half
of them children. Seven hundred
thousand of these people will come
from London proper. the rest from
the II surrounding danger areas.
This grandOise exercise is GER
tainly half bluff and half a serious
preparation for what may happen
this week end if Britain's strenu-
GUS diplomatic efforts to secure q
peaceful solution of the Polish ques-
ton go awry. At this moment, at
least, nobody here knows whether
they will or will not-all that any.
body can say is that there is a very
serious chance of war and that the
worst may very easily happen.
Yesterday Britain put the cues
tion OF peace or war squarely up to
its ally Poland and to Germany.
In notes which 1t sent to these two
governments, the British govern.
ment aired the possibility Of hav.
ing plenipotentiaries of both parties
meet on neutral ground to dis
cuss their differences.
Stockholm Meeting SugKested.
Great Britain is understood to
have suggested that the two powers
meet at Stockholm. possibly with
representative of another neutral
power as the third party in the ne
gotlations. This. in the opinion
OF the British. would conform en-
tlrely with suggestions made by
President Roosevelt and it is en-
tirely possible that a South Amer
ican state would act as the third
party.
The British government does not
believe that the Poles will give a
second thought to the suggestion of
the Germans that they should visit
Hitler in the manner of Schusch-
nigg and Hacha chancellor Of
Austria and President of Czech
Slovakia respectively at the tines
past victims of Germany's mighty
territorial appetite. They do be-
lieve, however. that the Poles may
find it perfectly possible to ne
gotiate with Germany in such a
city as Stockholm. now that their
two powerful allies-Britain and
France-have taken every measure
to show that they mean business.
The very fact that Britain has
mobilized her fleet today, in the
opinion Of the British. should make
1t easier for the Poles to discuss
matters with the Germans and to
carry out those negotiations in such
spirit that Germany could not
boast Of another bloodless victory at
the end Of them. This would please
everybody other than the members
of the axis.