1934-07-14 — Page 9

PICTORI

NT

THE HONGKONG

SATURDAY

GERMANY DETERMINED TO RE-ARM LA BELLE FRANCE SNARED

BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS,

Germany Intends to provide her- self with that degres of armaments. which her national defence re- quires, Franco's. stand to the con- trary notwithstanding..

This was made unmistakably clear by Baron Konstantin von Nourath, Rojch minister for. foreign affairs. in the course of a conversation I had with him at his office in the Wilhelmstrasse.

The baron does not like Inter viowa. Ila pet antipathy... -- in direct quotes. But he gave the full permission to publish the-gist of what he said,

As the world disarmament con- ference now seems doomed, leny ing Europe face to face with an almost certain armament racć, Baron von Neurath's views assume particular importance.

Surrounded by, nations each pos- anssing a vast armadn of military planes, the baron said, Germany jacks a single such plane. Berlin could be bombed from every direc tion at any time and, Germany could not help herself."

NO HEAVY ARTILLERY.

Germany does not seck offensive weapons,

continued. ho

Sho wants no heavy artillery. The biggest gun she saka for is 15 cen- timetres, approximately 6 inches. other nations have 8, 12, 14, 10 and '18-Inch guns.

Germany la not permitted tanks. Other nations have them up to 20 tons. Germany wants no such . land battleships. All she aska Is to be allowed tanks up to six tone. Germany has no anti-aircraft weapons with which to defend her frontiers from outside attack,

Germany considera her demands are extremely reasonable, Both British and American spokesmen have so expressed themselves to the baron, he saya.

The weapons Germany, naks for can not be considered dangerous. to her neighbours. They would he of little value save for purely defensive purposes within Ger

many.

She needs and must have the minimum deemed essential for the national defence.

UNWORRIED BY FRENCH.

The categorical nature of the French note to Great Britain de-

|

Baron Konstantin von Neurath, German foreign minister ... who declaros his nation wants to

arm for defence only... and takes pride in the German navy, headed by the flagship 'Schleswig-...

find it necessary to back_down: If such were the caac, would be disappointed.

France

Holstein;

All that is needed is a little goodwill on the part of all.

Just what is going to happen now, so far as disarmament is con- cerned, Baron von Neurath said, nobody knows. But the problem is still amenable to acttlement by

Perhaps that might have hap pened in the old days, when the Reichstag had more influence, but now, when things are different Germany's position would not hongreement. modifted in the least. She will not demand more, but certainly she will not demand lene.

scoffs at WAR TALK.

States and elsewhere abroad there I remarked that in the United

seemed to be a growing fear that Europe might be headed toward another conflict.

|

NO OBJECTION TO ALLIANCE,

I suggested that already thero is talk of a revival of the old Anglo-French entente cordiale and of à formal defensive alliance.

The baron's attitude was, Well, why not? Germany has no ided of attacking either country and therefore does not object either to a new entente cordiale or a defensive alliance between France and Great Britain--especially if it will make France feel any

better.

The baron replied that nobody claring that it la now useless to wants war and he does not believe say on further separate diplo there will be one. Any statesman matic negotiations on disarma who lets his country in for another ment, since Germany han anwar, he said, would be a At sub- nounced vast Increases in expend-ject for an asylum for lunatics. He did not bellovo, however, iture on her army, navy, and nir If there is another war in Eu- that it would make her feel any ministries, socmed to surprise the rope, he went on, it would mean better. France has been, asking haron somewhat, bul not to dis- | the end of Europe, which can not för security for years and, despite turb him.

survive, another conflict. There all that has been done to add to is not a single problem before the her security, she still is not eatly- European powers to-day, he in-fied. slated, which can not be sotiled Like Dickens' famous character, by peaceful methods.

she always asks for more.

In taking such aiand, the Ger- man foreign minister observed. | perhaps France hoped to create a situation in which Germany would

|

|

Buren von Neurath does not be Heve the League of Nations is of much value as at present (organ- Ized. Germany will not return to its fold.

It would be completely reorgan- ized, in his opinion, to make it non-politieal. In such form it could accomplish much good: CITES LEAGUE · FAILURES.

Experience has proved it will not work as a political organiza- tion, the baron holds. It failed In Manchuria. It failed in the Chaco. It failed in the Peruvian Colombian conflict.

In attempting the Impossible, it inevitably fails, and each failure detracts from its prestige, thus making it still less potent for its

next effort. :

BY MILTON BRONNER. Two export chofs-Marshal Pir- sudski, Ministor, of War and dic- tator of his country, and Culonel Joseph Beck, Minister of Forolgn. Affairs--recently went into the Polish state kitchen and browed some humbio pio.

It was one of these doop-dish affairs with plenty of crow and lots of bitter seasoning. It was intended for Poland'a guest of honour-Louis Barthou, French Minister of Foreign Affairs. It was not a dainty dish to act before aking nor even a minister, but the gallant Louls ate it down to the last drop. With true diplom ncy ho did not even make a wry face. He actually smiled. AID AFTER THE WAR.

NEA

Behind all of which is a great European story. In the early days after the war, when Poland was threatened on all sides by enemies both actual and potential, France was ita fairy godmother. It loan- ed Poland money, engineers, mili tary experts, munitions, Ten yearn ago a formal military alliance, was the Four Power Pact, the four The Little Entente of Czecho concluded between France and Po-powers could not agree to disarm- slovakia. Yugoslavia and Roumania land. By that gesture, France Inament and Germany last October fostered by France proved the dicated to Germany that, if war withdrew from the conference and

land has an alliance with Rouma- was Its purpose, it would have to from the League of Nations. Pil only other thorny question. Po. a pact of nia. It is very friendly to Yugo- look to its eastern as well as its audski. had negotiated

non-aggression with Russia. Hslavia. But its relations with western frontiers.

eastern frontier was now secure.

Czechoslovakia are not so good. But the sweet harmony was jar-Seemingly his only danger was The Teschen district of Silesia was

from the west, from a Nazi Ger- divided

and between Poland red by some flat notes last summany which was sore about the Czechoslovakin. The Poles claim mer when Franco, Germany; Eng-loss of part of Upper Silesia, that the Polish minority in Czech land und Italy agreed to try to about the famous Polish Corridor, Silesia is being mistreated.

of the peace Europe which cut through Gorman terri

Leaving Warsaw, Barthou beat through the celebrated Four Power tory, and about Danzig being Pact...

made a free city and a Polish port. it hurriedly to Prague, where he Benes, But suddenly and unexpectedly conferred with Edward The. Poles raised a merry rowdy Hitler made advances, to Poland. Minister of Foreign Affairs. On de-dow. They had not been con- They culminated in a non-aggres- Germany, on the League, or dis- Bulted. They had been neglect- ed and ignored by that dear son pact signed between Ger- armament there was no trouble at and Poland laat January.all. It was a comforting day for France. Thest who considered France knew about it only after it Barthou, He and Benes saw eye themselves a first-class power, had had been consummated. That was to eye. So he spent his time try been relegated by their own ally. Pilsudski's revenge.

ing to smooth out the differencer. to the lower class.The French

between the Czechs and the Poles., tried to smooth things over, but | POLAND'S BID, with little success. Another thing that aroused Polish ire was that the flow of French money suddenly. stopped. Poland had begun the construction of a big railway line from Kattowice to Gdynia. It was largely being done with French

Just by way of making his diplomatic errand to Central Europe & complete success, France's M. Barthan in shown (left) as he conferred in Prague with Czechoslovakia's: M. Bonas (right) in an effort to smooth rampled political relations between the Czechs and Poles

secure

loans.

Germany will co-operate, in 50 far as she is able, from outside the longue. Then, if its constitution la changed, its council reorganized | PILSUDSKI'S STRATEGY. to make it a much, smaller and more effective body, and it ceRBER to dabble in political problems which it can not possibly settle, Germany would likely rejoin.

.

many

That's why Barthou made that recent hasty trip to Warsaw. He may recognized Poland as a first-rate power and the equal of France. He hinted that French money would be on tap.

After that the Polish mastera were, a bit more amenable.. They nssured him that Poland had no intention of decreasing its big and Pilsudski thought he knew a efficient army; that it would stand trick worth two the French play-by the League of Nations and as- ed. He bided his time. Despite sociate itself with the French dfs- all the high-sounding phrases of armament policy.

Incidentally, the Poles pulled some figures of Barthou to show what a great and growing power in Poland. The count statistic showed that the country he births 001,611 people. In 1933 the exceeded deaths by 402,465. This beat the German fighre. Poland has been beating Germany sinoo -1927. At this rato; they proved, triumphantly that before the end of the 20th century, Poland will have bigger population than Germany. It was a shot that hit the Barthou target.

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