London Letter. REVOLVER INCIDENT

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 274, 15 August 1936, Page 21

London Letter. REVOLVER INCIDENT

Action Without Political Significance

(By .

J. A. Mulgan and G. S. Cox.)

Air Mai). London, J uly IS. The revolver incident at Wellington Arch during the King’s march back to the Palace at the head of the Guards on Thursday is yet too recent for the true intentions and motives of MacMahon to be clear. Once it was known that the King was safe the news was taken calmly, though there was a rush to buy evening papers, which at first came out witli great headlines, "Attempted Assassination of the King.” The point at which the act took place was near the scene of no fewer than three attempts on the life of Queen Victoria. It is always watched closely by the police, as it provides a place at which a wouldbe attacker would be sure of having tho Royal procession pass him on both its outwards and its homeward journey on the route to Piccadilly. It is also a point at which the procession has to slow up in order to swing round to pass through the Arch, and at which the King might possibly be drawn somewhat apart from his escort. One fact which has, however, emerged, is that the action was without political significance. MacMahon is not yet shown to have had any definite political connections of any seriousness, nor is there any political group in Britain, however extreme, which advocates the assassination of the Royal Family. There are no anarchists; the Communists, who are the only party strongly opposed to the principle of monarchy, attack it is part of a system they wish to destroy, and do not preach hatred of the King as a person. There was never any attempt on the life of King George, nor on that of King Edward in Britain, though Queen Victoria was subjected to no fewer than six attacks. The effect of the incident has been to strengthen still further public regard for the King, particularly as,, in his speech to the Guards in Hyde Park a few minutes before, he had echoed the feelings of the ordinary man with his words, “Humanity cries out for peace.” Austria and Germany The revolver incident swung public attention away from the foreign affairs which had occupied much of it in the early part of the week. Hitler's announcement of the Austro-German agreement, made, as with conscription and tile reoccupation of the Rhineland, on the strategically valuable day of Saturday, came as a real surprise to the general public. The effect of the agreement is recognised in official quarters as putting an end to the Austro-Ger-man question (which is briefly that Germany wants to absorb Austria) for the time being. But apart from this it is regarded with profound scepticism. It is believed that Hitler, chiefly at the instigation of the German generals, has

made peace with Austria in order to have his hands free elsewhere —in Danzig, for Instance. But there is little belief that, when the opportunity comes to absorb Austria, he will allow his promises to her to stand in his way. The union of Austria and Germany is mentioned by Hitler in the first paragraph of “Mein Kampf." An Austrian by birth, spending much of his time in his country house at Berecthesgarten, in a salient of tho German Alps almost surrounded by Austrian territory, he still holds that union dear. Moreover, the Chancellories of Europe realise that Hitler regards himself as a man with a mission—the restoration of greatness to Germany and the "Aryan” race, and that in the pursuit of this mission the means will to him always justify the cud. He' broke plenty of promises in Germany during his rise to power—one need mention only two, the promise to nationalise the trusts, and the assurance of support given to Roehm only a few weeks before he was killed at Hitler’s orders on June 30, 1931. In international affairs his re-occupation of the Rhineland, however, fully justified by circumstances was undertaken despite specific promises to the contrary. So, should the Austrian Nazis gain power in Austria by peaceful penetration of the present Government, or the international situation lend itself to a coup d’etat, the Austro-German agreement about Austria’s independence will not stand in Hitler’s way. But for the moment it does stand, and it has undoubtedly lessened tension in that part of ifuro-pe. Whatever its effect in the long run, it is temporarily effective in bringing about an Austro-German peace. Britain’s Attitude The understanding between Austria and Germany, indicating, by Italy's acquiescence, that -there is a good degree of co-operation between Berlin and Rome, has caused France and her allies in Eastern Europe to call more loudly for a definite statement about British foreign policy. At the moment Cabinet meeting after Cabinet meeting goes by, and still we stand in an isolation which is the result of indecision. But we cannot afford much longer this luxury of having no foreign policy. Germany’s Colonial Aims The statement by Mr. Firow, South African Minister; of Defence, that “influential quarters in England feel that there will be no permanent settlement of the colonial question unless Germany is given adequate comixmsation . . . in Africa,” and that “the return of South-west Africa or Tanganyika is not feasible” was followed a few days later by a statement by a Portuguese delegate at Geneva that Portugal has no intention of giving up any of her colonies. There is more than a chance connection between these two statements. For some time there has been talk in London of Nazi ambitions to gain part, if not all. of Portuguese East Africa. There have been rumours even of German agents trying to stir up revolution in Portugal in the hope that iu the ensuing confusion the colonies would come “on the market.” While one usually well-informed source speaks of a secret understanding between South Africa and Germany, under which Germany would take the upper part of Portuguese East Africa, and South Africa the lower, should the break-up of the Portuguese Empire come. In support

of this is quoted Mr. Pirow's (he is German by origin) known admiration for Hitler, and the fact that the Union of South Africa made surprisingly little fuss when the recent report was published showing the extent of Nazi activities in South-west (formerly German South-west) Africa. Tho head of Hitler’s organisation for keeping Germans resident abroad in a state of due patriotism towards the Fatherland is also a young German who was brought up iu South Afi’ica and lived there until in his early twenties, and claims British as well as German citizenship. But it is too early yet to say with any certainty what the exact situation is.

New Zealand Supplement

The “Daily Telegraph” brought out this week a very full supplement on New Zealand which was packed with information, political and economic, which New Zealanders over here have been wanting to find in a convenient form. Whether it had the same appeal to the ordinary Englishman is not certain. Rather fulsome headings tended to make the publication sound too good to be true, and one wonders what Professor Murphy will say when he reads the title a London sub-editor has put to his article. It reads, “Giving Farmers a Reasonable Income by a System of Guaranteed Prices: a Prosperity Policy.”