Evening star., 1939-10-17
Paris Surprised
Al German Silence
On Peace Declaration
Hitler Appears to Feel
StuIin's Aid Cunnot
Be Taken for Granted
BY PERTINAX.


BY PERTINAX.
PARIS, Oct. II N.AN.A).-The
German attack launched yesterday
on the French Army east of the
Moselle River had been fully ex-
pected by the French command for
over two or three days. On Satur-
day and Sunday the air reconnais-
sances had made it known that
German reserves numbering be-
tween 10000 and 700 1000 men were
massed behind the Siegfried Line
In the area between the Moselle and
Lauter Rivers.
Whether the attack must be re-
garded as the initial phase of the
huge offensive to which, in his pub
lie speeches, Chancellor Hitler has
threatened to resort in case his
peace offer should be turned down
or whether the German onslaught
will be kept within bounds, time
only will show. Meanwhile, it is
suspected by many that Hitler and
his military advisers are for the
present perhaps inclined to restrict
their stakes as long as they cannot
rely upon a larger measure of as
sistance on the part of Soviet
Russia.
Silent on Peace Declaration.
In that respect, some astonish-
ment is caused here by the fact
that, in recent weeks, no public
mention has been made on the
German side of the Ribbentrop-
Molotoff so-called peace declaration
of September %, whereby Soviet
Russia was pledged, in case Hitler's
forthcoming peace proposals should
not be deemed acceptable in Paris
and London, to consult with Ger
many about requisite measures to be
taken jointly.
That omission was particularly
noticed last Thursday night when
DR.. Dietrich, German press minister,
volunteered to be interviewed by
journalists of various neutral coun-
tries after he had been closeted with
Hitler for over an hour. Obviously.
last week, Hitler did not feel he
could take it for granted that
Josef Stain was ready to lend help
and depart from his position on
neutrality.
Since then, it has been ascertained
from several sources that the Ger
man Ambassador to Moscow and the
German economic mission staying
there have continuously insisted that
the failure of Hitler's peace offer
made it imperative for Russia, on
account of the promise given Sep
tember % and because of her own
national interests, hardly to be rec
onciled with victory for the western
powers, to enlarge exports of raw
materials to Germany beyond the
level indicated in the economic
agreement signed at the same time
as the peace declaration.
Negotiations With Turkey.
Such demand means, in practice,
that the Soviet Union ought to con-
duct negotiations with Turkish For
eign Minister Saracoglu in such
manner as to make sure that Turkey
in no conceivable juncture would in
terfere, or allow France or Britain
to interfere, with tankers carrying
oil from Batum to Odessa or Con-
stanza across the Black Sea.
Whether Soviet Premier Molotoff
has really tried to comply with the
German request, or, at any rate, has
given Germany the impression he
would do his best to fulfill it is not
known here. However, it can be
doubted whether Saracoglu would
find it consonant with his settled
program of foreign policy to enter
tain it.
Saracoglu's program of foreign
policy Is not shrouded in mystery,
since it has been .abundantly ex-
planned in the Turkish press. Its
main points are, first, to retain and
uphold in the eastern Mediterranean
the obligations of automatic mutual
assistance entered into toward
France and England last June; Sec
ond, as far as the maintenance of
the Balkan status quo is concerned,
to set up machinery of diplomatic
consultation, with the western pow
ers on one side and with Russia on
the other; third, to complete the
whole system through conclusion of
a Russo-Turkish pact of non-aggres-
sion, coupled with an assurance
given by Russia that she intends to
remain neutral in the Anglo French
German conflict
Bridge Between Powers.
The whole arrangement, if it can
be fixed up, will turn out to be
sort of bridge between the western
powers and Russia, with Turkey as
Its main pillar.
But everything is likely to fall to
the ground if Russia requires the
Ankara government to close the
Black Sea to British and French
warships and simultaneously claims,
at Germany's instigation, to make
such use of the monopoly of mari
time traffic thus conceded to her as
to undermine Anglo-French power.
In today's circumstances, when the
whole of the eastern question can be
reopened and Istanbul be again en-
dangered, as occurred more than
once in the last century, Turkey
could not accept undertakings in