STRIVING TO PLEASE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 44, 21 February 1940, Page 6

STRIVING TO PLEASE.

The attitude of the Norwegian Government in the Altmarck affair is incomprehensible except on the ground that the Norwegians are in deadly fear that the Nazis may be seeking an excuse for fresh aggression. Norway, according to the calculation in London, has lost 47 ships and 270 lives as the result of Nazi action. What did she lose by the removal of British prisoners from the Altmarck? Except perhaps a little prestige lost nothing, nor has she need to fear a repetition of what is admitted to have been a technical breach of international law. We may be sure she would be glad if she could feel equally sure that she will have no more of her ships sunk by the Germans. Yet in their anxiety to please Germany the Norwegians made surprising admissions. Their Foreign Minister affirms that they did not know the Altmarck carried prisoners— which in itself is hard to believe— but if they had known they would still have allowed the ship to pass. Their sole duty was to establish the ship's identity, and the German captain was entitled to refuse —as he did —to permit a search. This, even though we may believe it to be a statement "for the sake of the record," as the Americans say, must appear as an exceedingly partial interpretation of a neutral's duties. Considering it, British people will feel renewed pleasure that Mr. Churchill «o promptly authorised the British destroyer to act as it did. It was most certainly an occasion for acting first and explaining afterwards,