MORE SUSPICION IN BERLIN

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21746, 31 March 1936, Page 11

MORE SUSPICION IN BERLIN

HITLER’S REPLY ON TUESDAY

— + | I BRITISH AND FRENCH i I r ! STAFF TALKS !

ATTACK NOW FEARED

••DESTROYING ESSENTLAL

EQUALITY"

j Cryrtsc paxis iSaC-c-UTt-'y—coftsicht.) ' { (Received March 20. 11.45 p.m.) '■ | LONDON. March 30. j Mr G. Ward Price, diplomatic ! correspondent of the "Daily Mail." I writing iron: Berlin, says that Herr j Hitler and his entourage regard the j French and British stair conversaI tions as a r.ew factor, destroying i essential equality, as joint military j action would be preparing against ! one party when the peace negctiaj tions were beginning. i Ke adds: *'The stair talks sharpen j German suspicions that France is I converting her existing defensive ; organisation into a syster.. adapted ; to attack in the coming summer.*' i According to the diplomatic correI spondent of '"The Times." Herr von j Ribbentrop (.Germany envoy to the j league council) suggested to the j British Foreign Secretary (Mr R. A.. ! Eden) that it would be better if the ; I discussions among the British.; | French, and Belgian general staffs i J were postponed, because they were! j causing concern in Berlin. ! ! Mr Eden firmly replied that the j conversations must proceed, as they; represented the powers' decision as j ! distinct from a proposal to Gemany. j j It is pointed out in Ministerial j i circles in London that the stairs' j I contact is purely temporary and is! | limited to fulfilling the clause of the j i White Paper which provides that i the German breach has not freed j the signatories from their liabilities, j If the" negotiations are successful, j the German staff will doubtless par- i ticipate in the conversations necessi- j tated by the mutual assistance pacts, j

STAFF TALKS NOT A DANGER •‘EXCLUSIVELY TECHNICAL’* (Received March 30. 8.1 p.m.) LONDON, March. 29. Major A. C. Temperley (military correspondent of the/'Daily Telegraph/). discussing the fear in Parliament and the prpss that the British, French; and Belgian general staff talks may Commit Britain beforehand to a military alliance, says that the anxiety is hardly warranted. Britain's representatives will certainly receive the most precise instructions from the Government about the limited nature of the conversations and their exclusively technical character.

COMMENT SUSPENDED i LONDON, March 28. It is regarded as almost certain that the Reichstag will be summoned on Tuesday to hear Herr Hitler's reply to the Locarno Powers. It is not anticipated in London that the promised reply in full by the German Government will be available before Tuesday or Wednesday. but'the Foreign Secretary will be in a position to report on his talks with the German envoy before he left yesterday to see Herr Hitler. Newspaper comment is largely withheld, pending further developments. but the tendency is to dwell on the opportunity offered to the German Government to make a constructive contribution, and the hope is expressed that Herr von Ribbentrop, by his interviews with Mr Baldwin and Mr Eden, has been able to impress on Herr Hitler the need for a helpful German response.