Evening star., 1940-02-24
Fear Of Becoming
War Center Grips
Balkan Nations
Worried Lest Reich or
Soviet, or Combination
Of Both, Launch Attack
By RICHARD MOWRER,

Of Both, Launch Attack
BY RICHARD MOWRER,
Chicago Daily News Foreign Correspondent.
ISTANBUL-The character of war
being waged to date is causing the
Balkan states increasing concern.
The daily all quiet on the western
front" war communiques are plung-
ing them into the deepest gloom.
For they fear that the war that is
not being fought conclusively in the
west will be fought in Southeastern
Europe
They are nervously aware that
they offer that elbow room for war
that the Maginot and Siegfried Lines
have restricted in the west. And
they have any number of worries to
choose from.
The Germans, reacting against the
allied blockade, might smash into
the southeast to grab the food and
raw materials upon which they are
so dependent. Russian imperialism
might head this way The allies.
unable to get at Germany on the
western front. might be tempted to
engineer something in the Balkans.
And as far as Yugoslavia, Greece
and Turkey are concerned, 1taly's
seizure of Albania and its self
definition as a Balkan power are
causes for wariness.
Add to this the persistence of the
Balkan quarrels that are keeping
the states of southeastern Europe
divided and suspicious of one an
other and consequently vulnerable
to outside interference.
Rumania Feels Alarm.
Rumania fears a Russian attack,
or German attack, or a combina-
ton of the two. When the Germans
attacked Poland, Rumania's greatest
apprehension was Germany. The
"Drang mach Osten" apparently had
begun, and the way led through
Rumania. When Soviet Russia sud-
denly moved westward, colliding in
more or less friendly fashion with
Germany. Rumania was momentarily
relieved that the Germans would not
reach its northern frontier as ex-
pected. This relief ebbed when the
Soviet's new-found policy of expan-
sion extended to the Baltic states
and Finland.
Today Rumania's greatest worry
is the possibility of combined Ger
Russian action. Meanwhile
Rumanians hope that because of
Germanys economic advantages ir
Rumania, the Reich will not permit
Russia to disorganize everything by
invading Bessarabia and beyond.
Yugoslavia is mostly worried by
Germany. The Soviets are still
pretty far off. In a sense Yugo-
slavia is somewhat guaranteed
against German invasion because
such invasion would threaten Italy's
mastery of the Adriatic and turn
Italy 100 per cent against the Reich
But good many Yugoslavs suspect
that italian aid, in the event of ag-
gression from the north, would not
be palatable.
Greeks, Turks, More Confident.
Greece and Turkey are guaran-
teed by the allies, they have po-
tential allied aid at their backs, and
they show more confidence in the
face of Russian and German threats.
But they, too, are apprehensive of
being confronted by the modern
streamlined military machine of q
great power.
Hungary's most outspoken worry
(from the viewpoint of the coun-
trys leaders, is the presence of the
Soviets OF the Carpathian border
it so gleefully acquired from par
titioned Czecho- -Slovakia. In coun-
try where land ownership is re-
stricted mostly to a small ruling
minority, the specter of Bolshevism
is particularly abhorrent. The shades
of Bella Kun's Communist regime
are fitting around. At the same
time, Hungarians are wary of Ger
many's partnership with Russia. If
the Rome-Berlin axis snaps, they
hope to be on the italian end.
Bulgaria fears war from the south.
II the Germans or Russians should
smash through the Balkans, Bull
garians figure that they would be
the new eastern front. From the
south and southeast would come
French, British, Turkish and Greek
forces
Disunity Bars Defense Bloc.
Although all the Balkan states
show fear of the war coming their
way, although all speak loudly of
neutrality, their disunity makes the
formation of q common anti-aggres-
sion bloc improbable. Hungary and
Bulgaria still aspire to territorial
revisionism in their favor. They
have dropped all their claims (at
least for the present. except those
affecting Rumania and Greece,
Transylvania for Hungary, South
Dobrudja for Bulgaria. and an OUT
let to the Aegean for Bulgaria. The
states of the Balkan entente have
steadily insisted on the mainte-
nance Of the status quo.
However, the Balkans common
dread of the possible extension Of
the war may lead them to choose
between national pride and national
existence In favor of q solution of
their differences. For war changes
the order of things-not necessarily
in anybody's favor.