Evening star., 1939-10-07
Hitler Is 'Serene|y Confident
Peace Proposal Will Be Heeded;
Chamberlain Reply Due Monday
Sole Question Is
War Cessation,
Nuzis Declare
Ry LOUIS P. LOCHNER,

AScOSlhICu IIeSo EoACi6h SSAASSPoAANNA~s'
BERLIN, Oct. 7-Colleagues OF
Adolf Hitler represented the Fuehrer
today as "serenely confident his
peace appeal will be needed"
His speech before the ReichStag
yesterday was characterized author
itatively as a political offer de-
manding a clear-cut political reply"
But sources close to him said he
would refuse to give further elucida-
ton of the speech as preliminary
to negotiations for an armistice.
Details, it was said, might be
worked out later but for the present
the only question is: Shall war
cease or 60 on?
Public Reply Not Necessary.
Because Hitler's offer was re-
garded as a broad political gesture
not as narrow" diplomatic
document-German oficialdom saw
no reason why President Roosevelt
or any other neutral need assure
himself of acceptance of an offer
of mediation before making it.
1T is not necessary that the next
step be made in full public view"
one foreign of1ice commentator
said.
THE answers can be shouted or
even broadcast but they can equally
well be whispered. But they must
be answers, not set OF counter
questions"
The German foreign Office, it was
said, was in no hurry and does
not expect immediate action. 1t
was said to recognize that the
Fuehrer's speech must be studied
carefully abroad and to feel that
only patience can find a solution.
Chamberlain Reply Awaited.
The reaction Of British Prime
Minister Chamberlain was awaited.
In the meantime, other unfavorable
British reaction was regarded as
unauthoritative.
Well-informed sources said Hit
Ter looked preferably to President
Roosevelt as a neutral who might
start negotiations to end the Eu-
ropean war. In these quarters the
present situation was described as a
"great opportunity" for the Presi-
dent, but it was appreciated chat
past offers of his good offices for
the mediation of European quarrels
had been. rejected by Hitler and
that the reflections were followed by
propaganda directed against the
United States.
The history of President Roose-
velt's appeals gave rise to general
belief that the best qualified neutral
in sight who might be persuaded to
try mediation under the conditions
Hitler laid down yesterday in his
Reichstag speech was Premier Mus
solini
There was no positive information
or substantiation in Berlin, but the
expectation in informed circles was
that the Italian leader would make
an address in the next few days to
bring Hitlers offer a step nearer to
realization.
Duce Compromised.
1t was acknowledged that Italy's
military alliance with Germany
somewhat compromised Mussolini's
standing as the head of a neutral
state, but it was emphasized that
from the start of the war his atti-
tude had been moderate. His efforts
to localize the Polish conflict also
were cited.
Casting about for other neutral
states which might attempt the
delicate role of mediation, some
German leaders looked to Sweden.
There was even an unsubstantiated
rumor that Sweden already had con-
suited other Scandinavian countries
to see If conference at Oslo might
be acceptable.
But German leaders did not ex-
pect such momentous matter to
be determined overnight. It was
said Hitler expected to wait at least
= week, and possibly longer, for
world opinion to crystalize before
judging for himself the general re-
action to his Reichstag speech.
In it he offered a cessation of
hostilities based upon an exclusive
German-Soviet Russian determine
ton OF the future of Poland. or war
from which he expressed certainty
Germany would emerge unbeaten.
He also envisaged an international
(See BERLIN, Page A-4.)