Evening star., 1939-04-06

N0zis hInk Powers Con
Act Nowhere Outside
Home Frontiers
BY WALLACE r. DEUEL.,
Chicago Daily News rorelsp Correspondent
BERLIN, April Germany and
| Italy took new measures today to
complete and maintain the encircle-
ment of France and England. which
the axis powers have carried to such
successful lengths in the past three
years.
/ In Albania the Italians moved to
establish base of operation which
could be used to turn the Anglo
French f1anks in Yugoslavia and
Greece-and if this should be sue
cessful, the Anglo-French fanks in
Rumania and the Dardanelles, too.
Franco to Join Pact.
! I'm Spain negotiations are appar-
emily almost completed for adher-
ence of the Franco regime to the So
called "anti-Comintern' pact. step
which would strengthen German
Italian barriers between France and
England and their empires and give
! the axis powers new bases of opera
! ton against France and England
! themselves
/ In Memel. work has been begun
! -, ~
flank the Scandinavian and Baltic
countries. Poland and Denmark
/ In Berlin conversations have been
brought to an end with DR.. Joseph
Tlso Slovak prime minister. and
DR.. Ferdinand Durciansky. his for
eign minister. which will have done
something to strengthen the Reichs
north and Hungary on the south.
And in Innsbruck, Col Gen
Wilhelm Keitel, chief of the German
high command. is conferring with
Gen. Alberto Pariani. chief of the
/ Italian general stan and under
! secretary in the Italian war min
lstry, on matters which could only
involve military cooperation be-
! tween the Reich and Italy.
France, Britain Encircled.
Thus it is that While there is a
great deal of talk nowadays in the
world about an alleged attempt by
| England to enCircle Germany. the
real and effective encirclement which
is going on is German-Italian en-
circlement of France and England.
The Nazis may be too optimistic,
but they think they have so success
fully encircled the western powers
that France and England are power
less to act anywhere in the world
outside their own home frontiers
And having succeeded in this-as
the Nazis think-they and the
f, Italians are now in position, they
believe, to begin operations in real
earnest to win for themselves the
places in the sun" which they con-
slider they deserve.
Premier Benito Mussolini's long
postponed campaign for new
! deal in Africa is expected here to
open in the near future. backed up
bv the full forces of both Italy and
| the Reich. And the Reich, for its
own part, will proceed soon to take
up various questions with Poland
which the Nazis think are ripe for
settlement.
Attack on Poland Unlikely.
The chances seemed today to be
somewhat against direct armed at
tack on Poland proper. although
march into Danzig is perfectly pos
sibe any time from now on. But
there will be negotiations" and
these negotiations" will be accom-
panied bv evidence of the strength
of feeling which exists in Germany
on the subject of Danzig. the Cor
ridor. Eastern Upper Silesia, the
Olsa territory, the position OF the
Germans in Poland and certain
other questions.
There is a tendency in official
quarters here to say of the Corri-
dor that all the Reich now asks
is German corridor across the
Corridor"-that is. narrow strip
from the Reich proper to East
Prussia, which would be under Ger
man sovereignty and across which
superautomobile highway and
railway line would be built.
This may or may not be the case.
But in the end only one solution
will satisfy Germany and that is the
return of the whole Corridor to
the Reich. Then the Poles might be
allowed across German territory
the kind of little corridor" which
the Nazis now say the Reich ought
to have across Polish territory. And
Gdynia would become Polish free
port.
Germans Are Confident.
The Nazis. as is clear from these
plans. are not too impressed by the
latest turn which British policy has
taken. So confident are official
quarters here, in fact. that they now
suggest that England itself Is now
virtually isolated because. the Nazis
claim, the combined striking power
OF the German air force and Ger
man U-boats can prevent the British
from ferrying a single division across
the Channel and landing it on the
continent.
The Reich is now producing planes
which can reach London in 40 min
uteS from the German frOntier-and