Smyrna times., 1950-08-17
HOzC Near
is. War
in Europe :?
C. WARREN HEATH

POAl VI NeW 1Ork IOr business
trip in several of the Western Eu-
ropean countries; on August IL,
returned to the United States.
During the intervening six weeks
in Continental Europe, I visited
Italy, Switzerland, Western Ger
many, and The Netherlands, stay
ing several days in Genoa, Rome,
Milan, Geneva, Zurich, Basel, HAM
burg, and Amsterdam. The main
purpose of my trip was to develop
two-way trade in chemicals and
related commodities.
I had hardly reached Italy, my
first stop, when '1'affaire Korea"
lblossomed. AS I progressed from
city to city shooting war devel-
oped. Repercussions were immed-
lately observed. Europeans gener-
ally avidly read and discussed the
news dispatches, especially when it
became apparent that American
troops were temporarily outclassed
by the enemy. AS the weeks pass
ed and the United States began
mobilizing for war many persons
evinced a desire to talk with me
an American-about the situation.
Invariably all angles were discuss
ed, particularly the possibility of
the Korean war spreading to other
parts of the world and especially
in Europe.
would say that no one appears
to be harboring any delusions as
to the ultimate spread of the con-
fiict to Europe or that the United
States must eventually fight Rus
sia. All with whom I talked felt
that war was possible this year
and certainly in 1951-at the latest
unless forestalled by miracle.
MO where did I find any one who
believed war could be avoided. Ex- |
pressions ranged from apathy to
defiance and most persons were of
the opinion that Europe would be
totally occupied by Russian troops,
and that several years of oppres-
sion, destruction, and bloodshed
must elapse before the United
States could intervene on large
scale.
I am appending random notes on
each country visited. In doing so
1 have endeavored to eliminate my
own opinions, setting down only
the comments that have been GULL
ed from the remarks made to me
by innumerable Europeans in vari-
GUS walks of life, particularly the
common man. 1 did not talk with
politicians or diplomats. 1 did talk
with the so-called 'man in the
street" including business execu-
tives, clerks, taxi drivers, tourist
guides, walters and other hotel
employees, sales persons in the
shops, and many others. All have
definite and interesting opinions.
ITALY. In talking with Itali-
ans one senses an underlying fear
that war in Europe is imminent
perhaps a matter of weeks or !
months. The business man frank
ly says there will be no resistance !
in Italy when the Russian war
machine starts to roll. He believes
that the 100000 active Commun- |
lists in Italy will cause a great deal
of trouble, that their ranks will be
swelled by vast numbers of fellow
travellers. Almost without excep-
ton he Italians with whom 1 talk
ed were apathetic, expressing the
opinion there was nothing to be
done, that italy, with no means of /
defense, would be quickly occupied
by Russian troops.
SWITZERLAND. In this little
country that has not known war
since 1915 the desire of the 4,000,- I
900 people still is to remain neu-
trail. There is however some ques-
ton in the minds of many that this
will be possible. No where did I /
find anyone who had the slightest /
doubt about the certainty of war.
Some spoke of october as the time
after the crops had been harvested; !,
others thought the Spring of 1851.
The consensus among business men i
with whom 1 talked was that Rus
sia would attempt to occupy the
country. All said with grim de-
termination that the Swiss would
fight even though the outcome was
hopeless. My agent in Geneva told
me that mobilization could be eff
fected within "a hours, that each
home was already stocked with
food for two months and that each
male adult had in his possession
300 rounds of ammunition. I was
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