BEHIND THE CABLES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 181, 1 August 1936, Page 8

BEHIND THE CABLES.

"ALL QUIET" IN EUROPE. UNTIL AFTER THE OLYMPIAD. (By G. S. COX and J. A. MULt!AN".) LOXDOX, July 11. "All quiet until after the Olympic Games" sums up the European situation at the moment. At the same time, it shows how largely the future of peace in Europe depends on the attitude of Herr Hitler, and of the other nations' towards him. For Germany is not likely to make any move towards either Danzig or Austria until the Games, due to be held in Berlin next month, are over. Thit? is not due to any particular love of Hitler towards international amateur sport. There is 110 record of his having taken part in any kind of sport himself in his younger days, and lite whe> attitude to it is very different from the principles of equality of race and nation which are fundamental to the Olympiads. To the Nazi sport is never an end in itself; its main object must be to train the body of the athlete for the service of his country—service in which figures prominently fighting in war. One branch of sport which is compulsory throughout the length and breadth of Germany is Wehrsport—Defence Sport —which consists of military exercises, such as the throwing of dummy hand grenades. Olympic Village—Army Barracks. To the Xazi leaders the real importance of the Olympic Games lies elsewhere than in the Games themselves. It lies 'in the fact that visitors to them will bring in some £10,000,000, it is estimated, of foreign money, which Germany will find very useful; that the Games will provide a magnificent opportunity for advertising National Socialism (Dr. Goebbels can be relied upon to give to the world some of those glittering pageants which he has given to the German people) and so help to build up favourable opinion in foreign countries for any further coups the Xazis may make. A fine village of stone bungalows for visiting athletes has been .erected near the new Olympic Stadium, which lies to the west of Berlin, just off the wide avenue which runs in a straight line for over two miles to finish in Unter den Linden, and along which Frederick the Great's grenadiers used to march daily to parade before his palace opposite the present German War Memorial. The bungalows are far more substantial than those usually put up at other Olympic Games. The reason is not merely consideration for the athletes. It is that when the Games are over the Olympic village is to become a>- army barracks, and has been built with this object in view. Every spectator paying his entrance fees to watch this great display of international sport will be contributing his little bit towards the housing of the Germany Army.

BRITISH POLICY. UNDERSTANDING WITH GERMANY? Til the breathing space allowed by the Olympic Games, along what lines is British policy likely to develop? Collective security is dead. There is 110 doubt about that, though the term lnay still be used to secure support for the heavy rearmament necessary for the return to power politics. But the next British foreign policy is still unformulated; One important indication of its possible direction was, however, given in an editorial in "The Times" 011 the Monday following Herr Gresser's outburst at Geneva. In it was advocated, in effect, close agreement with France, Belgium, Holland, on the lines of traditional British policy of preventing any potential enemy gaining control of the Channel ports. But for the East of Europe, where trouble is likely to break out by a German coup in Danzig, Memel, Czeclio-Slovakia or Austria, Britain should keep her hands free. In short, Britain should build up a series of alliances to keep the peace in Western Europe, but turn a Wind eye to what happens elsewhere in Europe. This was not Rtated in so many words, but the essential idea was there. Some sentences were very significant. One was "The Franco-Soviet Pact is not regarded here as a helpful diplomatic achievement," which amounts to the same thing as "If France wants our close support, she should free herself from her entanglements with Russia, because we cannot be expected to come to the help of a France attacked because she is Soviet Russia's ally." The other may be the first step in a campaign to whitewash Nazi-ism, as a prelude to our coming to an understanding with Germany—an understanding which the Nazis will allow -bo be based on only one assumption, that we do not interfere with their expansion in Eastern. Europe. "The Times" said, after protesting about Nazi uttacks on liberty and the Jews, "No doubt there are mitigating circumstances in British eyes ... in the reflection that Nazi-ism, as a form of Government, is, after all, a domestic preference and has 110 mission (as Bolshevism has) to export its system to other countries." Which is, to say the least, an extraordinary statement about'a system which has done its best to stir up Nazi agitation in Austria, in the German-speaking part of Czechoslovakia, in Rumania (where the Iron Guard Fascist organisation is believed to be financially supported by Berlin), in Holland, in Southern Denmark, in Switzerland, and to sueV an extent in South-West Africa that the Nazi party there had to be suppressed by the Soulli African Resident Commissioner.

Influence of "The Times." To understand this pro-Hitler swing of opinion on the part of "The Times" one factor should .be taken into account. It is not, as k appears to be, a sort of semi-public organisation, like -a sort of Tory 8.8.C. among newspapers. It is a paper owned, like any other paper, by a private newspaper proprietor, who in this case is Major Astor, Conservative M.P. for the safe Tory constituency of Dover. He is a descendant of an American family who founded, 'amongst other things, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Xcw York, and who own a great part of New York. A branch of the family returned .to Britain towards the end of last century. Major Astor has been described as being "as determinedly English and aristocratic as only a Philadelphia origin can make a man." A courageous soldier, a cultured politician, lie cannot be said to be an outstanding personality. Nor is his brother, Lord Astor. who sits in the House of Lords, a leading political figure. By far the most pronounced political views in the Astor family are those •of thin, excitable, outspoken Lady "Xaney" Astor, wife of Lord Astor. While Lady Astor cannot bo said to sway the policy of "The Times"—its editor, tGeoffrey Dawson, is a very influential figure behind the political scenes—she undoubtedly exercises an influence on it. And Ladv Astor is inclined at the moment to be pro-German, if only because she dislikes the French with all tl 1-• definiteness of a prohibitionist of Puritan stock towards a Roman Catholic, wine-loving country, and because she is strongly anti Bolshevist, Communists to her still being large people who eat babies for breakfast. If Hitler can secure in hei- a supporter of his point of view, then he has indeed won a valuable ally, for there is 110 denying the gigantic influence which "The Times" exercises over the rank and file of Conservative opinion throughout the Empire. Tail-piece.

Britain's decline in prestige has given rise to this story, widely repeated in Europe. One man kicked another. The victim swung round angrily. "Did you do that in earnest?" he asked. "Yes," replied the aggressor, as truculently as possible. "All right, don't get annoyed," answered the other. "I only wanted to know."