CZECHS WILL FIGHT

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 115, 18 May 1938, Page 11

CZECHS WILL FIGHT

IF GRANTED SUPPORT ATTITUDE TO GERMANY Czechoslovakia' will fight to the last man if it can reasonably count on support from the democratic Powers, butj if this support continues to be purely verbal it may have to sell out to Germany, says a message from Prague to the "Chicago Tribune." No responsible Czech source, official or otherwise, will:admit that such, a course is even considered here, but the "Tribune" correspondent was informed reliably that the course has been considered—very seriously—and that this is one reason why France and Russia have repeated solemnly their pledges of assistance to this country. The remorseless Prussianisatlon of Austria is for the Czechs a powerful argument against attempting to buy peace by becoming a satellite of Germany. Nonetheless, the alternative—the extermination of Czechoslovakia as a nation, with the forced emigration of the surviving Czechoslovak population—is so terrible that a policy of surrender cannot be ruled out.

Such surrender would mean the strangling of the Czech democracy, the disappearance of the last centre of iWestern culture in Central Europe, now ' that Vienna is gone, and, of course, the same kind of purge of Jewish,and antiNazi elements that Austria is now going through. • ' These, however, are small matters today. The Czechs know that Reichsfuhrer Hitler is not particularly anxious to accept the Czech* and would much prefer the complete disappearance of this country. "ONLY ONE CHANCE." Therefore, they figure that they have only one chance to save themselves — to become the military allies otgreater Germany in peace and war. [An Associated Press dispatch from Prague said that Hitler was reported to have demanded that Czechoslovakia abandon its military alliance with Russia as his basic condition for talking terms with the little republic]

Becoming an ally of Germany would mean putting the well-trained and wcllequipped little Czech array, and the

great armament plants of Pilsen and Brno (Brunn), potentially larger than those of Italy, at the disposition of the German army for further conquests. At the same time, this would give the German army strategic access through Czechoslovak territory to Hungary, Rumania, and Poland. Hungary and Rumania would have no !choice but to join the band-wagon on the" same conditions as the Czechs. I Hungary, in fact, already is counted as lost, and Rumania might sell out I any minute even if Czechoslovakia did not. Since Bulgaria already is counted as an ally of Germany, Hitler then would be in a stronger position than was former Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1914. With [ the raw materials and food supplies of his vast empire he would be able to wage a major war at least for a couple of years, despite any attempts by the Powers which command the seas to starve him out. THE POSSIBLE COURSES. In this case one of two things would happen. Turkey, with 'its 18,000,000 people, might cave in before Hitler's 80,000,000, and the realisation of the Berlin-Bagdad dream would be less difficult than the absorption of Austria. On the other hand, if England at the last minute decided, with the help of Russia and France, to defend India in the Balkans, it would be a repetition of the World War, with the difference that Rumania would be on Germany's side and Turkey on the British side. But Italy this time might well jump the other the German side. AH this sounds very remote and speculative, but well informed observers here easily see 'how Hitler might be in Istanbul in a few. weeks. A few hours of secret talk between ! President ..Eduard Benes, of. Czechoslovakia, and some high-powered German emissary such as Franz von Papen, former German Ambassador to Vienna, would be sufficient to accomplish this almost overnight. It would be a staggering blow for the democratic masses of this country, and it probably would entail some bloodshed, but the prestige of President Benes is so great and the feeling of racial solidarity and discipline so strong among this people that there is no doubt that the thing could be done. ' On the other hand, if France and England take a strong stand, Czechoslovakia will fight for its independence to the very end. The prospect of a World War and the over-running for the. time being of the most of the; Czechoslovakian territory would notdeter this courageous, hard-headed, and; invincibly patriotic people.