Evening star., 1940-01-25
Netherlands Rejects
ChurchiI|'s Bid
To Join in War
Obligation to Abandon
Neutrality Policy
Strongly Denied
BY the Associated Press.

THE HAGUE, Jan. 25.-The
Netherlands today rejected Britains
recent bid for cooperation of
neutrals against Germany.
Closing a foreign affairs debate in
Parliament after speakers had op-
posed the plea for united actor"
sounded Saturday by Winston
Churchill, first lord of the British
admiralty, Foreign Minister Eelco
N. van Kleffens said the Netherlands
was under no obligation to depart
from her policy of strict neutrality.
Van Kleffens did not mention Mr.
Churchill, who said the safety of
small European neutrals depended
on united action" with the allies.
Obligation Is Denied.
The foreign minister, however,
did say:
From the British side there has
come a voice which declared that
neutral nations have a juridical
obligation as members of the League
Of Nations to go into the war.
Il strongly deny there is a jurid-
ical or a moral obligation for the
Netherlands to participate in the
war.
Our task is no collaboration with
others. That is a positive attitude
and positive policy and, moreover,
our good right"
Mr.. Churchill in a broadcast last
Saturday asked: What would hap
pen if all the neutral nations
were to do their duty in accordance
with the covenant of the League of
Nations and stand with the French
and British against the aggressor?"
Reproached by Germany.
Van Klefens said the Neither
lands has been reproached by Ger
many on the score that by being a
member of the League of Nations
I'VE are more or less at the side of
England and France because they
dominate the League"
The foreign minister said he had
not given up hope of development
OF the League as a universal body
OF sovereign nations, but he warned
that in the long run membership
in a League of one-sided political
character would be impossible.
Extension OF the war to the low
land countries, Van Kleffens said.
would only complicate the situation,
for never can any big European
power tolerate Holland and Belgium
coming into the hands of the
enemy"
Van Kleffens said that whoever
takes up arms against us will be
opposed by our arms" He praised
Belgium's neutrality attitude and
said the two low countries are open
to the same dangers" ano must have
joint watchfulness, although he
said military consultation before
hand Is not possible in view of our
own special policy"
Churchill Speech Attacked.
Mr.. Churchill's speech, advancing
the thesis, was attacked by repre-
sentatives of all parties in yester-
days foreign affairs debate. They
indorsed the Netherlands neutral
stand as the only reasonable course.
Prof. B. De Savornin Lohman,
member of the dominant Christian
Historical party, declared that Brit
ain and France-not the neutrals-
have killed collective security
Holland has moral right to neu-
trality and has nothing to do with
endeavors like those of Churchill to
draw us into battles for which we
have not single responsibility" he
said.
From Switzerland came reports of
fresh preparedness action by an
other neutral.
The Swiss general staff published
instructions for possible removal OF
the populations of Switzerland's two
largest cities-zurich and Basel
and counseled civilians to refrain
from hostile activities in event OF
invasion unless the high command
proclaimed mass rising.
The instructions covering about
1854 900 persons came last night, just
four days after similar orders were
given for the Kreuzlingen district
near Germany's fortified area on the
south side of the Rhine.