REAL PURPOSE

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 145, 16 December 1933, Page 9

REAL PURPOSE

DIPLOMATIC MOVES

EUROPEAN CAPITALS

FRANCO-GERMAN FRIENDSHIP

HERR HITLER THE KEY,

(British Offlclal Wlreleu.) (Received December 16, 11 a.m.)] RUGBY, December 15. The British Ambassador in Berlin (Sir Eric Phipps)', who returned to London on a short visit at the request of the Government for consultation on the disarmament question, and who had a long talk with Sir John Simon yesterday evening, will he present at today's meeting of the Cabinet Committee on disarmament. Sir Eric has recently had several conversations with Herr Hitler. The Secretary-General of the League (Monsieur ' Avenol) visited Mr. Baldwin this morning. He is lunching with the Italian Ambassador; (Signor Grandi), and will later have a'further conversation with the President of the Disarmament Conference (Mr. Arthur Henderson). A leading article in "The Times"' , today remarks that the immediate pur? poso of the present diplomatic activity; in the various capitals, and almost the sole purpose of Great Britain is to bring about a basis of negotiations between Franco and Germany, to which "Tlio Times" thinks a fresh pact of non-aggression might conceivably be a useful preparative. "The Times" continues: "Cynics may argue that if pacts of non-aggression could secure European peace, it is already secured. a- hundred-fold, sinco most of the nations of Europe have actually signed a 'whole series of them, in. addition, to such major instruments as the Covenant of the League, the Kellog Pact, and the Treaty of Locarno. But the answer is that, in the first place, war has not been started again anywhere in Europe, with which these many treaties may have had something to do, and, in the second place, Herr Hitler is a revolutionary who has broken with party. A solemn pledge by a leader who is known to be a man of his word, that he would not go to war with Prance, could, in fact, hardly fail to pave the way to a better understanding between the two great countries, whose present disagreement absolutely prevents the conclusion of the general Disarmament'" Convention." After an analysis of the causes of the mutual Franco-German, want-of-coniidence, and, in particular, France's anxiety regarding the apparent determination of the German Government to impart intermediary military training to every citizen, "The Times" argues that the real cause of the apprehension of Germany's neighbours must b& not the existence! of their voluntary and unarmed militia, since conscription is general on the Continent, but, coincident with it, of a highly trained longservice professional army and tha absence of any form of organised. International control. It adds: "Both these points were met in the Draft Convention. Herr Hitler's Government had agreed to transform its (professional Eeiehswehr into a short-service army, and Germany had agreed with the other delegations at the Disarmament Conference to an automatic investigation by an international commission. Both these extremely valuable points are in suspense so long as the Draft Convention remains inoperative. The moral is to get back to Draft Convention." "The Times" emphasises that a collective peace system with equal rights and international supervision offers the only hope of agreement, and the only alternative to the dangers of unrestricted competition.