Evening star., 1939-09-18
The Plot Thickens

The Plot Thickens
If there were any doubts that
the German-Soviet "non-aggression"
pact was anything but secret deal
between Hitler and Stain for a
mutual territorial sack Of Eastern
and Central Europe, those doubts
are removed by events of the past
twenty-four hours. The Red Army
has invaded Eastern Poland on
five-hundred-mile front and already
stands deep within the stricken
country. Warsaw and a few other
key points are not yet in enemy
hands, but that the country's doom
is sealed, with Germany'S mech
anized forces in possession OF
half of it and Soviet legions oc-
cupying the rest, Is plain. Britain
and France, geographically handi-
capped, have proved lamentably
unable to come to her rescue. Parti-
ton of the twenty-year-old republic
between her ancient foes is now all
but inevitable.
But it is not alone the Poles tragic
fate that sends shudder through
Europe today. 1t is not going too far
to say that with Nazis and Commu-
nists in offensive and defensive
alliance-for that is the situation
~,,l,;,I, hos ,ro o+ico1ly oo1 o11tor, at
1cally come about-there is not
small state anywhere between the
Baltic and the Black Sea that can
any longer be confident of its
independence and security. Uncer-
tainty prevails only as to the direc-
ton in which the Hitler-Stalin jug
gernaut will now turn. Rumania is
generally considered the next victim.
Premier-F Foreign Commissar Mo-
lotoff yesterday, in justifying Soviet
aggression on Poland, alleged that
its purpose is to take under Russian
protection" the 10000, ,OOO-od Ukran-
ians and White Russians resident on
Polish soil. The same pretext could
easily be invoked for an attack on
Rumania and the former Russian
territory of BeSSarabia, now under
Bucharest's control and which, since
the World War, has been indexed in
Moscow as a lost Soviet province.
Already come reports of how the
dictators propose to divide their
territorial gains. Poland would
be split between them Hitler
would take Estonia and Latvia.
Stain would get Finland in one form
or another. To the Red czar would
also fall Bessarabia, with the rest of
Rumania becoming a German protec-
torate Fantastic and premature as
such political horoscope in Eastern
and Central Europe sounds, it is no
more chimerical than the unbeliev-
able things that have happened
since the Nazis unleashed their
thunderbolts in Poland a bare two
weeks ago.
Italy's course will be watched, in
consequence, with augmented inter-
est. Although an axis alliance with
Communist Russia is just as much
anathema in Rome as Hitler's cynical
disregard of the ti-Comintern pact
Is in Toxic, Mussolini, in self-interest,
may now be compelled to abandon his
nebulous neutrality and line up with
the Berlin Moscow land-grabbing
bloc while the grabbing is still good
Italy could not afford to stand idly
by while Germany and Russia went
marauding in the Balkans, for II
Duce would thus court the possibility
of having to content himself with
such crumbs, if any at all, as Hitler
and Stain might deign to allot him.
Turkey, too, faced by combined Ger
man-Russian power, may feel the
time has come when Berlin and Mos
COW have more to offer her than
London and Paris.
One wonders what Communists in
Russia and fellow travellers" in
other countries, like Earl Browder
in the United States, think of the
unmasking of Josef Stain and the
Kremlin regime as outright imperial
lists? On the eve of Germany's final
dismemberment of Czecho- -Slovakia
last March, Isvestia and Pravda,
official mouthpieces of the Commu-
mist party and government, said in
unison:
Events in Central Europe do not
shake the decision of the Soviet gov
ernment to adhere to a policy of
peace and to strengthen commercial
relations with all countries. Let
imperialists forever give up hope that
they will be able to induce the Soviet
people to pull the chestnuts out of
the fire for them" Stain himself,
addressing the Red party congress on
March 10, said, 1--WE must be careful
not to allow our country to be
involved in conflict by instigators Of
war" Events of the week end demon
strate the hollowness of these Com
munist professions, now proved to be
as empty and deceitful as those Of