ALLIES READY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 14, 17 January 1940, Page 7

ALLIES READY.

DEFEND NEUTRALS. Nazis Try To Blame French For Dutch Fear. PRECAUTIONS NOT RELAXED. United Press Association. —Copyright. (Received noon.) LONDON, January 16. French Foreign Office officials have declared that Allied policy provides for the defence of any neutral invaded by Germany. However, no official statement is being issued. The British forces in France are being held in readiness in case of any German offensive through the Lowlands, said an earlier London message. It is semiofficially stated in Berlin that M. Daladier is responsible for the Celgo-Dutcli military measures. He alarmed the Dutch" Ministers during their visit to Paris because he wanted to intensify the war, say the Nazis. At The Hague it is semi -officially denied that the British and French Governments spread rumours of a threat to Belgium and Holland. The statement added: "The Government considers the international situation on information the origin and reliability of which it can check." Neither Belgium, Holland nor the Allies have eeen any reason to relax their recent precautions, although reports from Belgium suggest a momentary, and very slight, lessening of tension. The German Press describes the situation as "made in Paris," while French authorities consider diplomatic rather than troop movements created the alarm. According to the Copenhagen correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph," the spokesman of the German Foreign Office said: "Belgium and Holland have been asking for this for a long time by their failure to preserve proper I neutralitv. If they had resisted the British demands this situation would not have arisen." The official Belgian spokesman in Brussels said last night: "Fears of invasion have eased, but a state of eemi-alann is being maintained for a few days." Troops are still moving up, althouuh the mobilisation stage was completed between 12 and 10 hours after the calling-up. Civilian air raid precautions and trench-digging are being completed. According to most reliable sources, Germany's 1,000,000 men on the. frontiers comprise 18 divisions adjacent to Holland and 41 divisions adjoining Belgium, says a message from Amsterdam. Mr. John Cudahy, urmer American Minister to Eire, who was recently appointed to Belgium, suddenly departed for Brussels three weeks ahea\l of time, owing to the European situation. * The army of the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, ceusisting of a company of volunteers numbering 180 rne-n, has been placed in a state of instant readiness. Luxemburg, which has a population of about 297,000, was overrun by the Germane in 1914. A Paris war communique savs "nothing to report" on the Western Front.