Evening star., 1939-08-28
A Question of Integrity

Despite the generally conciliatory
tone of Adolph Hitler's letter to Pre-
mier Daladier, there is little if any
thing in the message to encourage
those who are seeking peaceful
settlement of the controversy which
has grown out of the German Chan
eellor's territorial demands on Poland.
Hitler has advised the French
Premier that Danzig and the Polish
Corridor must" be returned to the
Reich, that he believes they will have
to be taken forcibly from Poland and
that he is prepared to apply such
force as may be necessary. That
attitude necessarily involves a fiat
rejection of the note from the French
government Saturday to the effect
that Germany would have to deal
directly with Poland as one equal
power treating with another equal
power, and that France stood ready
to carry out her pledge of military
support to Poland if that state is
attacked by Germany and fights in
her own defense. Since there can be
little doubt that the Poles will fight
If necessary to retain the Corridor
loss of which would cut them off
from all access to the sea-Hitler's
letter must be interpreted as mean
ing that war has been brought one
step nearer.
Undoubtedly, the cleverly worded
letter from the German Fuehrer was
designed to appeal to the groups in
France and Britain who want peace
at almost any price. Hitler plainly
implied that he would be fully salts
fed with the return of Danzig and
the Corridor-that their restoration
to Germany would, in his estimate,
right the last of the wrongs" perpe-
trated by the treaty of Versailles.
But it is not likely that the French
or the British will accept this
assurance at it's face value. It's
validity is wholly dependent on
Hitler's personal integrity, and the
record bellies his probity.
Reading yesterdays communica-
tion, Premier Daladier must have
turned his thoughts back to 1884,
when Hitler gave assurance that if
the Saar Basin were restored to
Germany he would live up to his
obligations under the Locarno pact.
The Saar was returned and Hitler
broke his pledge by sending German
troops into the Rhineland
In 1885 Hitler told the Reichstag
that Germany has neither the wish
nor the intention to mix in internal
Austrian affairs, or to annex or unite
with Austria" But when the time
was opportune he marched his mill
tary forces into Vienna and incor-
porated Austria into the Reich.
Nor has the world, and more par
ticularly Neville Chamberlain, for
gotten the sad lament of the British
Prime Minister after the dismember-
ment of Czecho- -Slovakia. Hitler"
the disillusioned apostle of appease-
ment said, told me privately, and
later repeated publicly, that settle
ment of the Sudeten question was
the end of Germany's territorial
claims in Europe" That assurance
was given by the Fuehrer after the
Munich settlement, and within six
months the pledge had been broken.
In the light of that shameful rec
ord, it must be perfectly clear now
to France and Britain that the real
question is not whether Danzig and
the Corridor should be returned to
the Reich, but rather concerns the
direction in which Hitler would turn
after attaining his immediate objec-
tive. For nearly five years Hitler has
broken one promise after another
and it necessarily follows that any
assurance he may give with respect
to the Polish question is not worthy
of belief.