ACTION AGAINST AGGRESSORS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22355, 19 March 1938, Page 17

ACTION AGAINST AGGRESSORS

SOVIET proposal;

POWERS INVITED TO

CONFERENCE

(UNITED ' PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT.)

(Received March 18, 5.5 p.m.)

LONDON, March 17,

The Soviet Commissar of Foreign Affairs (M. Maxim Litvinov), in reaffirming Russia’s treaty obligations to Czechoslovakia, invited all the Powers, except Italy, Japan, and Germany, to" a conference to discuss methods of checking aggressors. If the invitation is not accepted, the Soviet will support her obligations alone.

The invitations to the conference, which include one to the United States, will be issued to-day. M. Litvinov suggested that the conference be held at Geneva or some other suitable place. He added that Russia was to participate in collective action aiming at checking further aggression and eliminating the increased danger of a new world massacre.

Aggressors Not Invited

Russia was not inviting Italy, Japan, and Germany to the conference because it was useless to argue about aggression with aggressors. Unlike the Chinese and Spanish wars, which chiefly affected contiguous countries, the Austrian occupation immediately menaced 11 nations.

Asked how it was possible to help Czechoslovakia without a common frontier, M. Litvinov replied: “Where there is a will there is a way.” M. Litvinov added: “The PolishLithuanian incident is viewed with alarm here, because the Polish antiLithuanian demonstrations have already created a pre-war situation. “The Soviet has warned the world that international inaction and impunity for aggression in one case would lead to the multiplication of other cases.”

“The conquest of small nations will create premises for pressure and even attacks against large States,” declared M. Litvinov. “The danger threatens to grow into new international conflicts. This already manifests itself in this alarming Polish-Lithuanian situation. The great Powers are faced with the question of responsibility for the destiny of the peoples of Europe, and not only Europe. “The Soviet is prepared to take up a course, within or outside the League, for discussions with other Powers of practical measures that the circumstances demand. It may be too late to-morrow, but to-day the time has not yet gone, if all States, particularly the great Powers, take a firm and unambiguous stand.”

British Acceptance Thought Unlikely The' Australian Associated Press understands that the Soviet has not actually invited the Powers to confer, but as a preliminary has asked whether they desire that such an invitation should be issued. It is certain that Britain will not accept the proposal, as acceptance would constnute a definite lining up of democracies against dictatorships. The Berlin correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” states that semiofficial quarters pour scorn on the Russian proposal. M. Maisky (Soviet Ambassador to Great Britain) called at the Foreign Office and presented the full text of M. Litvinov’s speech, with a Note indicating that the views expressed represented the views of the Soviet Government.

AMERICAN COMMENT RESERVED

“ESSENTIALLY A EUROPEAN

PROBLEM”

(Received March 18, 11 p.m.)

WASHINGTON, March 18,

The Department of State reserved its comment on the invitation of M. Maxim Litvinov (Soviet Commissar of Foreign Affairs. There seems little chance of the participation of the United States at such a conference, since it would apparently primarily concern Czechoslovakian independence, which would be regarded as essentially a European problem not involving the United Stales.