REVIEW OF WAR

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 32, 17 November 1939, Page 5

REVIEW OF WAR

THE OFFER OF MEDIATION.

NAZI REPLY NOT UNEXPECTED.

POSITION OF LOW COUNTRIES.

; United Press Association —Copyright.) (Received This Day, 10. 5a.m.) LONDON, November 16.

Sir John Simon (Chancellor of the Exchequer) on behalf of Mr Chamberlain, whose illness, though improving, kept him from the House of Commons this week, made a statement on the progress of the war. ‘ ‘During the fortnight since Mr Chamberlain made his last statement to the House,” said the Chancellor, “the most notable development in international affairs has been the communication addressed by the Queen of Holland and the King of the Belgians on November 7 to the King, the President of the French Republic and the German Chancellor, offering their good offices in the hope of avoiding further extension of the war.

“On behalf of Mr Chamberlain, last Friday, I said that past experience did not enable us to be very hopeful of a satisfactory response from the German Chancellor. The House will since have seen the -reply transmitted to tho Queen of the Netherlands and the King of the Belgians by the King. President Lebrun "made a similar reply the same day, well illustrating the unity of tho two Allies.

“Misleading references to British policy in Herr Hitler’s address at Munich on November 9, coupled with misrepresentation by German propaganda of the British and French replies as a refusal of the Dutch-Belgian peace initiative did not indicate that the German reply was likely to open the door to peaceful and satisfactory settlement. The Official German News Agency has now published a statement that Herr von Ribbcntrop yesterday informed the Belgian Ambassador and the Netherlands Minister in Berlin, in the name of the Fuhrer, that after the blunt rejection of the peace move by Britain and France the German Government considered the matter closed. Members will have noticed in the Press reports that no formal reply to their Majesties is to be made by Germany. . “The past week has also been marked by recurrency of rumours of aggressive intentions by Germany against the Netherlands or Belgium, tho concentration of German troops on the Dutch and Belgian frontiers and the opening of the threatening campaign irr the German Press. All those presented a pattern familiar to the world, which has grown accustomed to seeing in such signs the immediate forerunners of invasion by Germany.” Sir John Simon said there could, therefore, be no surprise at the general reluctance shown throughout the world to accept at the face value pacifying statements of a purely general nature put out from Germany. On. the other hand there could be no desire anywhere, and. least of all in this country, to exaggerate the significance of these reports. ... Last Sunday the German Official News Agency broadcast a . statement that Germany intended to continue to respect the neutrality of the Netherlands and Belgium as long as Britain and France did so, and as long as Belgium and the Netherlands- showed themselves capable of strictly preserving that neutrality. On the same day the Netherlands Prime Minister broadcast a statement to the effect- that his Government had no immediate reason to fear a breach of its neutrality and that the measures recently taken by them had been necessary to keep pace witli the increased tension in the Western Europe. “The relaxation in tension which has followed these statements is satisfactory to this Government, which I need hardly say has every intention, in accordance with the consistent policy of this country, of continued respect for neutrality of the Netherlands and Belgium,” said Sir John. “Other developments during the last fortnight have strengthehecl the position of the'Allies. In particular the United States has by its recent legislation restored to us the right of purchase of the abundant supplies they are able to offer us.”—British Official Wireless.