Evening star., 1940-01-12
Fate Of Balkans
lis Declared in
|Germany's Hands
ItoIo-Huneorion Pact
Seen Subordinate
! To Reich's Desires
By PERTINAX.

PARIS, Jan. IL (N.A.NA A, py
Radio Fuller light has been shed
on the meeting in Venice last week
of the Italian foreign minister,
Count Ciano, and the foreign min,
lister of Hungary, Count Csaky.
First, no military convention was
concluded or contemplated.
Second, Count Ciano succeeded in
persuading Csaky that Rumania de-
served to be regarded, in the pres
ent circumstances. as the bastion
of European civilization against
Belshevism and ought to be en-
couraged eventually to resist an in
vasion of Bessarabia by the Red
army. Therefore, the Magyar claims
on Rumania will be left in abeyance
and the Budapest government will
refrain from doing anything which
might disgruntle King Carol of Ru-
mania and prevent him from con-
centrating upon the task of keeping
Soviet Russia at arms length.
Mani Assurances Reported.
Third, it is stated on the Fascist
side that italian diplomacy has OBJ
tained from Germany an assurance
that she does not intend to disturb
the political and territorial struc-
ture in Southeastern Europe. AS
already explained in former dis
patch of mine, here is really the
crux Of the whole question, as it is
quite obvious that, were Germany
and Russia to agree as to introduce
ing changes in the Danubian and
Balkan zones in accordance with
plan formed in common, the under
standing reached in Venice by the
Italian and Hungarian foreign min
listers would crumble like a castle Of
cards.
1t remains to be seen whether
Adolf Hitler and German Foreign
Minister Won Ribbentrop have really
pledged themselves toward Italy to
the extent indicated in Fascist cir
cles. After all. it is intelligible
enough that Italian action in the
| Balkan Peninsula should be re-
garded in Berlin as fairly helpful to
the German cause. 1t may be
argued, indeed, that Germany is
| likely to draw more from the Danu-
bian and Balkan states in the way of
economic resources through peace
full methods than through a brutal
attempt to enslave them in Co
operation with Moscow, and. above
all, that the Nazi governments su-
preme interest is served by Italy in
so far as she locks the door to
armed intervention of the Western
powers and of their Turkish asso-
ciates.
Germany Holds Balkan Fete.
So much can be said with GER
tainty about the Venice negotia-
tions of last week. The practical
conclusion to be kept in mind is
that Germany holds in her hands
the fate of the Balkan zone and that
Italy can assert her leadership there
only subject to Hitler's tolerance, as
any move taken by the latter to
alter the present order of things in
that part of Europe would, without
serious difficulty, win Hungary's 5
support and bring about general
scramble for spoils, which the Rome
government would have to join.
Confronted with such a situation,
France, Britain and Turkey have no
other course left open to them but to
make preparation on such scale as
to convince every one concerned
that any warlike German Russian
initiative would be promptly an
swered in an adequate manner.
Moreover. it begins to be realized
here that the loss of prestige and
material power suffered by Soviet
Russia in Finland may be attended
with consequences of very differ
ent nature On the one hand, Jo-
seph Stain may be driven to beg for
the Fuehrer's assistance, and pay
the price through Russia's closer
subordination to Germany. On the
other hand, Stain may recoil from
that new mode of association Cun-
expected to him. hithertO and think
it over twice before finally commit
ting himself against the western
powers, a potent reason why neither
London nor Paris has shown any
present inclination to sever diplo-
matte relations with Moscow.