THE EASTERN SITUATION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 2 August 1918, Page 8

THE EASTERN SITUATION.

i j GENERAL MAURICE'S VIEWS, j | GERMANY'S INTENTIONS OUT-' LINED. | I —-— j NECESSITY FOR, FRUSTRATION EMPHASISED. (Received Aug. 2, 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 1. In his review of the Eastern situation General Maurice adds: j ''Germany drew Turkey into the war; as a catspaw with, a- view to snatching! from Britain her position as the doniin-! ant power in the East and transferring! that power to Germany. Our success in. Mesopotamia, and Palestine forced Ger-' many to seek a way round, and Rus-i sia's collapse opened the way. Ger-! many entered the Ukraine and pressed! r>n to Odessa and Sevastopol, not merely) for tlii> purpose of gaining the whole; valley of the Don and thereby obtaining a port on. the Black Sea. but also to es-l Lablish a base controlling the lower' waters of the Volga, and also giving access to the northern shores of the Caspian. Simultaneously Germany urged the Turks forwaard on the south coast of the, Black Sea -with a. view to dominating Persia. The Germans next year will probably avoid battle on the West front by gradually falling back and- devastating the country. Then Germany ivill cunningly begin bargaining and will ask France how long she will permit North France to be. laid waste to support Britain's eastern ambitions. "If Germany is allowed to realise her eastern programme she. will emerge from the war relatively stronger thnn when she entered, and will remain as great a menace as ever. That is one of the main reasons why we cannot afford a patehod-up peace. We must convince our Allies that it is essential to 3-aise a barrier against Germany's eastern progress. We must act in the etint, where the miraculous creation of the Czechoslovak army provides our op-portunity."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. i