Sir John Simon Summarises Results of Visits to Capitals

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 167, 11 April 1935, Page 7

Sir John Simon Summarises Results of Visits to Capitals

NO POLICY PRONOUNCEMENT GIVEN Germany Will Not Sign Eastern Pact of Mutual Assistance (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, April 9. The House of Commons showed intense interest in a statement which the Foreign Secretary, Sir John Simon, on the eve of his departure for the Three-Power Conference at Stresa, made this evening in regard to the recent exploratory tour of European capitals. _ Sir John Simon said that it would be appreciated that just as the visits paid to Berlin, Moscow, Warsaw, and Prague arose out of the London Declaration of February 3, so these visits, which were to provide niatenal as to the views of other Governments, were connected with the Stiesa meeting of the British. French and Italian Governments which will begin on Thursday. , . , x t . / In these circumstances he could only make a summarised statemen of what had been ascertained as to the views of other States andl it would not be possible to use the occasion for a pronouncement of the British Government’s policy. As regarded the so-called Eastern Pact, Herr Hitler made it plain that Germany was not prepared to sign the Eastern Pact under which Germany would be bound to mutual assistance. In particular Germany was not prepared to enter into a pact of mutual assistance between herself and Russia. On the other hand, Germany .was stated to be in favour of a non-aggression pact between the Powers interested in the East European question, together with provisions for consultation if aggression was threatened.