Evening star., 1939-01-09

France Convinced Worst Crisis
In History Faces Europe
Few Found Who Have Any Faith
In the Munich Agreement

We ANY roIrn
cement
tiers where the Maginot line faces
the Lime line. Outside that It was
Frances business to come to some
kind Of an agreement with 1taly,
"You will see" Ribbentrop is re-
ported to have said, that the Ital-
ians are not unreasonable"
Is the Ukraine Next?
In the meantime while the French
were up In arms over the unex-
pected claims of the italian "peo-
pie" the Germans presented the
western democracies with another
little Expansion" the formation OF
the modern Ukraine. There IA
nothing new in this. One must give
credit to Hitler that he is frank
and sincere as far as his plans for
Germany's aggrandizement are con-
cerned. He told the world that the
Ukraine will be the next morsel the
Reich will take after Austria and
Czecho-Slovakia had been digested,
1t appears that Germany's digestion
Is excellent. Within less than two
months after it has taken the last
bite she is hungry for more terri
tory. Hitler wants to create q
Ukraine under the domination of
the Reich with parts OF Czecho-
Slovakia Cthe sub Carpathian
Ukraine. as Ruthenia is now called)
with parts Of Poland and finally
with the U. S. S. r. Ukraine.
Drawing room strategists have
been puzzling in the past how the
Germans could attack Russia to
take the Ukraine when the two
countries have no common bound
aries. Hitler has provided the
answer, to the intense disgust Of the
Poles and the sad amusement of the
French who are able to tell the pro-
German minister Of foreign affairs,
Col. Beck: eve told you So"
All these manifestations from Ber-
lin and Rome prove one thing to the
French: That peace in Europe can
be maintained without difficulty If
France is willing to pay for it with
portions Of her territory and with
the sacrifice of her commercial and
economic interests in the major
part OF Europe. She can avoid war
If she agrees to look to Berlin for
instructions and assistance. It is
no longer a question whether she
can once more become the dominat-
ing power in Europe-that is a thing
OF the past. The question now is
under what conditions will she be
allowed to survive as power.
May Not Yield Again.
This is the flrm conviction OF al
most every Frenchman. Hence,
placed in the position to choose be-
tween yielding further to the totali-
tartan states and saying: No I have
had enough; no more concessions of
any kind, he is likely to choose the
latter.
1t is for this reason that the
peace-loving Mr.. Bonnet has be-
come so bellicose in the last three
weeks when he made statements in
the French Parliament that France
would make no more concessions.
His associates and his political enc
mics hope for the best; they hope
that he means what he says. They
are not particularly worried over his
next actions. There cannot be an
other Munich, they say, for the
very simple reason that the Daladier
government could not survive it.
But this may mean war" said
to men like Blum and Delbos, who
used to represent the extreme paci-
fist element in this country. Their
answers were the same. They
shrugged their shoulders.
1T is not necessary to be q clair
voyant to see where the world is
going" say these men. I'VE have
sacrificed the Czecho- -Slovaks in
order to obtain appeasement in
Europe. Mr.. Chamberlain has
signed a no more war treaty with
the Germans and so have we. What
was the immediate consequences of
the Munich pact? That every nation
in the world, including your United
States, has plunged into an un-
precedented armament race the day
after the 'appeasement' has been
achieved. That shows how much
confidence the makers Of the Mu-
Mich pact have in their respective
sincerity"
And there is good deal in this.
The man In the street who will have
to fight eventually and has at the
present moment to foot the re-arma-
ment bill. He understands the sit
uation. He understands where he is
headed. He smokes fewer cigarettes,
has given up the movies and pays
for the new battleships and the
thousands of airplanes France is
building now, awaiting resignedly
for the pink slip which will order
him to re-join the unit he left on
october 3.