GERMAN CHANGES

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 63, 16 March 1938, Page 14

GERMAN CHANGES

ATTITUDE OF FRENCH

FEARS OF FUTURE MOVES

There are, roughly speaking, two distinct French interpretations of recent happenings in Germany, said the Paris correspondent of the "Manchester Guardian" on February 6. The gloomier view is that the extremists have won virtually all along the line, and that the danger of war has been greatly increased. This view may be summarised as follows: — In .home affairs the fanatics of autarchy will now do their worst, and if 'certain Reichswehr elements were opposed to religious and racial persecution being: driven too far, this opposition will no longer count for much. Even more important may be the effect of all these changes in Germany on her foreign policy. On the Secret Council the moderate element, now represented by the comparatively pliable yon Neurath alone, will be hopelessly outnumbered. Foreign policy will now largely be in the hands of yon Ribbentrop. He may not have been taken seriously in London, but in Berlin his authority will be enormous, all the more so as he has secured a victory over certain German elements wh6 were unfavourable to his "antiComintern" policy. '' SPAIN AND CHINA. General yon Fritsch, in particular, was (these commentators believe) not only opposed to large-scale intervention, in Spain, but continued, in the Bismarck tradition and in spite of the present difficulties, to entertain hopes of an eventual reconciliation between Germany and Russia. One ofi the effects of-the change in Germany may be the adoption of a more openly proJapanese policy and possibly the withdrawal of German experts from the Chinese Army. But the change will, above all, result in a strengthening of the Berlin-Rome axis, which is anticipated with such glee in Mussolini's triumphant message to Hitler. One of the most anxious questions asked by commentators of this school is.whether Germany will not now greatly intensify her intervention in Spain, which would also encourage Mussolini to renew his activities there after, two months of disappointments in the'eourse of which he was actually faced with the question whether he had not better cut his losses in Spain. These commentators also view the future of Austria with great alarm. The question they ask is. whether Germany will not now attempt to carry out fully certain items of the foreign policy^, outlined in "Mem Kampf" and temporarily set aside as a matter of expediency. They attach particular importance to the report that Herr Burckel, the Nazi extremist, who "ran" the Saar plebiscite, may be appointed Ambassador in Vienna in place of yon Papen. Nor do they feel that Czechoslovakia has much to rejoice about over the appointment to Leipzig of General yon Reichenau, also a notorious Nazi. • ' A FRESH BARGAIN? There are reports of an Italian-' German arrangement which, would consist of complete freedom of action for Germany in Austria in. exchange for strong military support in Spain. It is true that even these commentators admit that before-engaging upon spectacular, action in Central Europe Germany may first make, a strong bid for colonies, and the more cautious among them say that before^ taking too tragic a view of i what has happened it may be better to wait for Herr Hitler's speech on February 20. The less gloomy interpretation given in France is that the changes in Germany have-primarily been caused by considerations of an internal order, that General yon Fritsch and others were found to be preparing plans for. restoring the monarchy, and that, in spite of such a provocation. Herr Hitler was careful in making all his great changes not to allow the balance to swing too much in favour of the party at the expense of the army. It is argued that with yon Neurath's promotion to the Secret Council and the appointment to the High Command of: the Army of Generals yon Brauchitsch and Keitel (believed to be less extreme than either Goering or. yon Reichenau) the party has by no means won a complete victory over the Reichswehr and that the "moderates" will still have a great deal to say in the. management of " military and foreign policy.

Even so, everybody in France is agreed that, whichever interpretation is* the more correct, France and England will have to be more vigilant than ever.