UNITED FRONT

Dunstan Times, 13 March 1933, Page 3

UNITED FRONT

OH WAR BEET ISSUE PART Of BRITAIN The plain truth about the unites front of debtor States of Europe ii that nothing is contributing more t< its formation than the openly expresses dislike of it in the United States. This sounds as a paradox, but it is th< truth, writes “ Augur,” from London, to the New York ‘ Times.’ The British Government has exer cised great care to avoid even the semblance of an agreement with other Governments with regard to the procedure to be followed in dealing with the debt to the United States. The reticence of the Treasury, which exclusively deals with the problem, has been so great that foreign diplomats in London, including the French, have been obliged to have recourse to methods so complicated that they reminded us of the investigations beloved by the inventors of the best detective stories. The anxiety of the foreign Governments to learn what was intended grew as news began to come in from the American side of a desire to give preferential treatment to Great Britain. The French and other nations feared that this alleged discrimination would leave them stranded if the British were left alone to go to Washington with a request for a postponement of the payment in December. It was the outcome of this fear, and of nothing else, that the French application was made simultaneously with the British one, and that other Governments followed suit in quick succession. The British Government was more embarrassed than pleased by this quite unintended coincidence of diplomatic activities in Washington, and this all the more because of its conviction that its case for a revision of the war debt settlement is stronger than that of any other Government in Europe. This fact, however, while causing it to deplore the tacking on to its own of the action of practically every other debtor nation, is not” sufficient to oblige it to take an active stand against this quite unasked-for development. For this there are weighty reasons. BOND WITH EUROPE. If the- Government of Great Britain were to take up an attitude of active I'esistanco to common action in the matter of war debts, this could have oulj’ the meaning that it is ready to give up all participation in the affairs of the European Continent. Since the war there have been people in this country, and some of them belonging to influential circles, who have demanded complete isolation from Continental politics. Again and again the question has been brought up, only to be dismissed, and always for the same and one reason : Great Britain is too close to the rest of Europe to be able, in her own interest, to dissociate herself from European politics. This is why a British Government in 1925 gave to France the guarantee ol the Locarno Treaty and why consecutive Administrations have identified themselves with the Dawes Plan for German reparation payments, with the Young Plan, which came after, and with the last settlement at Lausanne, which is now hanging fire, waiting for the solution of the problem of the debts to the United States, To beat off the hands of those who are trying to hang on to the gunwale of the British boat which is steering over a troubled sea toward the goal of a settlement with the United States is to cast off Europe, to write finis below the account of disarmament, and to give up all hope of the World Economic Conference. It also means that Germany would be left at the mercy of France and her allies in Europe. It may bo argued that this would but be just. From the point of view of British interests it certainly would not be expedient. For the balance of power in Europe would be disturbed. Finally, in a case like that, the position of Great Britain on the League of Nations would become abnormal first, and then quite impossible. GROWTH OF WAR, But the covenant is the achievement of the English-speaking allies in the war, of which the British people are really proud and to which they ascribe a lasting and growing importance. So it will be seen that while the British Government does not intend to promote a united front of debtor States it cannot actively oppose it, for the simple reason that by doing so it destroys the roots of its political position in the domain of international’ relations. If under the influence of the news from America about a desire to discriminate between debtors the latter begin to come closer together, Great Britain cannot be held responsible for the event. So much for the united front! But, quite apart from it, there is enough to grey the hairs of diplomats at the present time in connection with this unfortunate question of the war debts. In spite of the campaign waged in the popular Press and the attitude of the technical experts of the Treasury, the Government is thinking more about ways and means of honourably carrying out its obligations than of defaulting on them. For reasons of a formal character, when the payment to the United States takes place the British Government is obliged to consider the newly concluded Lausanne agreements as inoperative, and tin's, apart from the question of German payments, means that a request must be addressed to France for an instalment on that country’s debt to Great Britain.