Imperial Valley press., 1945-04-29
HAR-SCARRED EUROPE
POSES LONG PROBLEM


If the war in Europe could end COM
pletely at given moment, and if the San
Francisco conference could write CON-
plete peace in one dash of a pen the
world would lose little time regaining its
stride and move rapidly to the goals set
up in international reorganization pro-
grams.
But just the opposite will happen, in
fact, is happening. In the first place,
the war will not end at given signal.
As far as the United States is concerned
World War One officially did not end
until almost three years after the armis-
tice was signed. Then only compare
lively part of the world and not all of
Europe were upset Today only small
portion of the world is not upset.
Planning for shedding of wartime re-
strictions and getting back into a normal
swing can not and does not foresee a
starting line Even with the war in Eu-~
rope practically at an end as central
conflict, there is nothing but chaos. Polit-
ical entities are disrupted or entirely
erased. No one knows which way to
turn. The lack of authority will breed
Strife and civil war. Of that there can
be little doubt Millions of nationals
have been uprooted and are out of their
own countries. They are not welcome
where they have been forced to go either
voluntarily or by force.
Armies of at least three nations are in
countries where they have gone in con-
quest of Germany. In Austria, for in
stance there are refugees from other
war-torn nations; there are British, AM
erican, Italian and French soldiers in
Austria. There is no chance for anything
like the start of a stable government
there. The people are divided in senti-
ment No doubt for the time the invad-
ing Allies will be hailed and welcomed.
But not for long. And this situation ap-
plies to all the Balkans where there has
teen 10 settled and forward policy in
man, decades.
France, first occupied country to be
freed of Nazi rule is far from being in
The groove Of tranquility; the lowland
countries are uneasy and their people in
p state of unrest. Return of the old Hol
land regime rests not so we'll and there is
talk of a new party rising to power.
Norway, which has shown decided pro-
Nazi tendencies yet is to be reckoned
with in the change over from war to
peace.
! There is ahead the period when Allied
governments will be set up on the heels
Of freeing the nations of Germans, and
who shall say that friction will not dev-
relop and that problems difficult to
solve will follow?
; In all this haze of uncertainty, of
Shattered economy and the hatreds gen
Grated by the war, it is seen that the most
the San Francisco conference can accom-
plish is to reach the main need-an. or
ganization to supervise the return to
sanity; protection for the smaller nations
and a governing body that will see to it
that among the nations there shall not
be an aggressor of the ability to arm for
war
This war was more than ten years il
the making. 1t may require even longer
period to undo all its damages and get
the world set on straight and righteous
course.
German war prisoners should be thor
oughly indoctrinated into the workings
Of democracy. Although forcible indoc-
trination is prohibited by the Geneva
Convention, force should be used, if nee
essary, because the United States is the
only country to observe the convention.