Evening star., 1939-03-28
Nazi Envoy Calls
Seizure Of Czechs
Justifiab|e
Declares They Have
Nothing to Fear
From Germany
By BRENT DOW ALLINSON.

the Reich could not be dismissed
simply by calling 1t conquest, a
theft, or IAN act of wanton lawless-
ness and arbitrary force" in sup
preston of the liberties of free
democracy, as expressed by the re-
cent pronouncement of Acting Sec
retary of State Sumner Welles.
"The matter is far more compli-
Gated and far more defensible than
such language implies Dr.. Thom-
sen said 1T has been neither
bloody nor ruthless, in fact, but quite
the contrary.
you see. you Americans under
stand only with much difficulty our
1,OOoyear-old racial, political and
dynastic conflicts"
He admitted no historic parallel
with the seizure of Silesia by Fred
erick the Great of Prussia from the
Austrian Empress in 1855 which
precipitated the Seven Years War
and caused measureless destruction
and impoverishment of the German
people, with little territorial or any
other advantage to them at the end.
Requested by Prague.
''The assumption by my govern
ment of protectorate over the an
cient neighboring provinces of Bo-
hemia Moravia," he said, was not
merely a strictly legal proceeding,
as we see it, and an act formally
requested of the Fuehrer by the law
full President and Premier of the
government in Prague, when the
former voluntarily visited Berlin on
March IA.
1T was also one which marks the
elimination of over 20 years of ef-
fort on the part of the German
people to erase the humiliationS and
throw off the yoke OF the Versailles
dictation, and to overcome the in
tolerable economic consequences Of
the strangulation or 'Balkanization'
of the upper Danubian countries by
that treaty'S most unfortunate dis
ruption of the old economic unity of
the Austro- Hungarian monarchy.
Looked at through the perspec-
tive of long history. the act might
be considered as a reunion of the
ancient Germanic city OF Prague.
which is the seat OF the Oldest OF
all the German universities fo,,nd-
ed there in 1348 ADJ and which
was the capital of one of the most
able and famous of the German
EmperorS (karl w of the LuXem-
burg line. Certainly. it is more this
sort of thing than it is the throw
ing down of a gauge of battle to
the democracies, for Germany has
no intention OF attacking them If
war should result. it will be the
French and British who will have
to attack Germany. directly or in
directly, through their allies
Seizure Justifiable.
''Then you really believe this seiz-
ure of Czecho-Slovakia is justif1able
on historic and moral grounds, in
cluding even the seizure of the
Czecho-Slovak gold reserve?' he
was asked
Under al of the circumstances,
the answer must be yes" replied
the diplomat He fastened to add
that latest reports stated probably
as much as 25 per cent of the gold
would be turned over to the new
Slovakian government for the sup
port of its independent currency.
Part of the Czecho- -Slovak gold
belongs to the Slovaks, you see. and
they will receive it." said the coun-
selor.
But the rest surely belongs to
the Czechs and is a symbol of their
labor and lost liberty" the writer
observed.
please remember" said DR..
Thomson. "that the assets. as we'll as
the liabilities. of the Prague govern
ment naturally were taken over hv
the Reich under the terms of the
merger, in view of the dissolution of
the republic. Moreover, after the
secession of Slovakia. the pact of
Munich ceased to have binding legal
validity. But suppose you look at it
as the exaction of a pledge rather
than as hostile or illegal act"
"A pledge of what?"
"A pledge of security and eco
nomic freedom" was the cool reply.
Security and freedom for whom?
Surely you would not consider that
the 100000 people of Czecho-SlO-
vakia constituted any kind of men,
ace to the 10000 900 of your Reich"
Spearhead at German Throat.
If you regarded the country in
the light OF its close military alli-
ances with France and Soviet Russia
and the Little Entente he coun-
tered slowly, "if you saw it from our
viewpoint, with its fine army. it's
strong Notifications on our southern
borders less than 100 miles from
Dresden. with its modern air bases,
you would see why Czecho-Slovakia
lay like spearhead directed at the
German throat.
1T was created, indeed. for that
purpose, and the Notifications were
constructed to bar the natural ex-
pansion OF Germany toward the
Danube, in search of raw materials
and foodstuffs for our factories and
our people. The Fuehrer has point
ed out that Germany must export
or perish. In the absence of gold.
which we have learned by hard ex-
perlence to do without, we have re-
sorted to barter But if they will
Illustrate even that. and not permit
US to trade abroad, what else is
there for us to do?
You know. We do not have a
favorable balance of trade with the
United States. For that reason. we
have been unable to make any pay
ments to you upon the Austrian
debt, which we have likewise as
sumed, although we have concluded
satisfactory arrangements with other
creditors of Austria. My proposal
for discussion of this subject with
your government have met with no
response in Washington, unfortu-
nately"
Then you do accept in principle
the obligation. in both cases?"