The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo andThe Sun. WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 1940. FRANCE'S NEW ORDER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 162, 10 July 1940, Page 6

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 1940. FRANCE'S NEW ORDER.

For the cause that lacks a&t&tancc, For the ":ronrj that veeui resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that ice can do.

The Government which accepted for France a .dishonourable peace is noy engaged in altering the Constitution so that the peace terms may be more easily enforced upon the French people. It seems to be ready to make France a member of a German-dominated alliance, such as Hitler was planning as long ago as 1934. "An alliance," he told Dr. Rauschning, "but not of equal partners; it will be an alliance of vassal States, with no army, no separate policy, no separate economy." The core of the alliance was to be Germany, with Austria, Bohemia and Western Poland. Subordinate to it, to the w r est, there was to be an alliance of "Holland, Flanders, Northern France." And to the east? The eastern alliance was to consist not only of Poland, but also Hungary, the Baltic States, the Balkans, the Ukraine, the Volga basin and Georgia. "I make no distinction between friends and enemies," Hitler remarked on that occasion. Perhaps because it is well aware of that, the Soviet — temporarily at least-—forestalled Hitler's purpose by controlling the Baltic States, and it is improving its position in the Balkans. But Hitler might well think that a programme with which he has made such progress can be completed, in spite of the Soviet —if only he can defeat Britain.

Do the men 'who now, under Hitler, constitute the Government, the men who are engaged in abolishing Parliamentary government, speak for France? Again we may refer to Hitler for an estimate of the qualities of this Government. When, in 1932, he spoke of overcoming Prance, lie said to Eausehning: "The confusion will be beyond belief. But I shall long have had relations with the men who will form a new Government — a Government to suit me. We shall find such men. We shall not need to bribe them. ' They will come of their own. accord. Ambition and delusion, party squabbles and selfseeking arrogance will drive them." These motives no doubt played their part. Another motive, al.so powerful, was fear of Communism. The Communists, too, worked * for Hitler, unceasingly, before the war and after it began. They opposed the war effort in Prance, just as they oppose the war effort in every country, except Germany. Whether they hoped to seize power in Prance when the collapse came is not known, but amongst older Frenchmen like Petain the fear of another bloody. Commune was real! Between the extremists of the Left and .of the Right France has been horribly betrayed. But a people with the tradition and spirit of the French will not easily succumb. If given a clear field for several years no doubt Nazi methods of repression and propaganda would prevail, but they will not have a clear field while Britain stands. While Britain stands all is provisional—including the French armistice terms, and the French Government and its new Constitution.