HITLER’S WORD NOW VALUELESS

Northern Advocate, 10 March 1936, Page 7

HITLER’S WORD NOW VALUELESS

(Received 10 a.rp.) LONDON, March 9.

The Berlin correspondeint of “The Times” interprets Herr Hitler’s speech as an attempt to placate Britain and throw the responsibility on France for Germany’s action, which, however, dees not entail the mere rectification of a one-sided clause of the Treaty of Versailles, but the repudiation of the whole of the freely negotiated Treaty of Locarno, which Germany spontaneously signed, and Herr Hitler repeatedly re-asserted, declaring that he regarded the demilitarised zone as a contribution toward the appeasement of Europe. Hitherto, Herr Hitler has boasted that he has never broken a personal pledge; that assertion is now invalidated. The “Manchester Guardian’s” Geneva correspondent says the overwhelming opinion in diplomatic, journalistic and official circles is that Herr Hitler’s word and signature alike are valueless.

Few governments will consider concluding any agreement with Germany in future. Herr Hitler himself reaffirmed the Locarno Pact in 1935, and his repudiation of it is the application of the maxim in his book “Mein Kampf” (“My Struggle”) that treaties should be repudiated whereever it is convenient.