Evening star., 1939-08-15
Plan for Dunziq

In the wake of the Salzburg and
Berchtesgaden conferences between
italian Foreign Minister Ciano, Ger
man Foreign Minister Won Ribben-
trop and Chancellor Hitler rumors
OF plans for pacific settlement of the
Polish-German issue run through
Europe. Little of specific nature
appears except the expectation-and
hope-that the Danzig question will
be settled by negotiation, sparing
Europe another trip to the brink
Of war.
Most definite of the reports is that
Professor Carl j. Burckhardt, League
OF Nations high commissioner for
Danzig, proposes reunion of Danzig
with Germany and the establishment
of direct and guaranteed connec-
ton between Germany proper and
the free city. Furthermore, this is said
to have been approved by Herr Hitler,
Danzig Nazi District Leader Albert
Forster, and Polish Foreign Minister
Joseph Beck as the basis for nego-
tiation. Professor Burckhardt saw
Hitler at Berchtesgaden last week.
Mention of such a plan recalls
Hitler's speech of April %, in answer
to President Roosevelt's peace mes
sage, and to Colonel Beck reply, de-
livered the following week.
In his speech before the Reichstag
the Fuehrer, at the same time that
he announced abrogation of the Ger
man-Polish non-aggression pact of
1884, revealed his offer to Poland for
the return of Danzig and the grant
ing Of an eXtraterritorial traffic route
through the Corridor; recognition of
Polish economic rights in Danzig, a
free harbor for Poland in Danzig, &C
ceptance of the present German
Polish border, twenty -five-year
non-aggression treaty, and a guar
antee-with Poland and Hungary
OF the independence of the Slovak
state
Colonel Beck's answer eight DAYS
later was questioning of German
motives, reaff1rmation of the desire
TOR peace, and an expression of will
lingness to negotiate the points at
iSsue-DanZig and the Corridor-if
Germany met two requirements:
Peaceful intentions and peaceful
methods OF action. The door was
left open to negotiation, and it has
not been closed since, although no
use has been made of it.
Professor Burckhardt is known to
be sincere and objective in his ap-
proach to the distressing questions
which engulf the free city today. He
recognizes realistically the historical
forces at work in this section of the
Baltic, and II he has now proposed
that Germany be conceded what she
wants in Danzig it is because he is
convinced that is the only way to
prevent war.
His proposals, If they have been
correctly reported, would bring Ger
many and Poland together for dis
cussion on the basis of Chancellor
Hitler's offer of April %. But the
prospects of peaceful settlement by
negotiation now, with Germany ap-
preaching mobilization of 2,5OO,OOO
men within the next few weeks, are
considerably less than they were
three months ago.
% The events involving Poland in 1889
are in general analogous with those
through which Czecho-S -Slovakia was
moving year ago. The Polish issue
was raised at the same time this year
as the Czech issue then-following a
spectacular German coup which aug
mented her territory; there has been
the same slackening of tension this
year during the summer months, and
the same dread with which Europe
approached the months of August
and September; there is now the
same effort at negotiation.