EUROPE'S RESPITE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23401, 18 July 1939, Page 9

EUROPE'S RESPITE

DANZIG SITUATION "PERIOD BETWEEN CRISES" ATTITUDE OF BRITAIN POLISH CAUTION ADVISED LONDON, July 11 The belief that Herr Hitler will not strike immediately is responsible for the present Anglo-French handling of the Danzig situation. Delay in a protest to Germany by Poland against the militarisation of Danzig is believed to bo a result of the British Government's attitude that, although it is ready to fulfil its obligations, it would welcome caution. The Polish Ambassador in London, Count Raczynski, is reported in Warsaw to havo told the Polish Foreign Minister, Colonel Beck, that the feeling in London was that Poland should not run the risk of precipitating a conflict until tho situation made action unavoidable. Mild Pressure Reported In some circles in Warsaw these representations are reported to bo in the nature of pressure, but it is unanimously regarded as certain that the Polish Government, while abandoning its protest reluctantly, has decided on the limits which the Nazis in Danzig must, at all costs, bo prevented from overstepping. Critics of the British Government, however, aro inclined to wonder whether the belief that Herr Hitler is grafting the world a respito is soundly based. They ask when it received this vital information and how long the probable duration of the respite will be. They warn the Government not to relax its war preparations. These colossal nation-wide preparations certainly will not be influenced. Indeed, their tempo is increasing every day. Although all parties share the official opinion that Europe has now entered a period between crises, and signs are indicating a temporary quiescence, nobody dares to predict the duration of the respite, having had vivid acquaintance with Herr Hitler's technique. Possibility of Negotiations The question is being asked whether there is a belief that tho respite is influencing the Russian negotiations or whether the delay in the negotiations is influencing the supposed respite. Tho Tokio talks must be regarded as another factor with a possible influence on European events. There is a considerable body of opinion based largely on reports from British, French and other observers on the spot in Danzig that tho Danzig dispute may yet be capable of solution by direct Polish-German negotiations, provided Germany renews her oncemade offer to guarantee Poland's present frontiers, subject to a fresh agreement on Danzig and a German Corridor. Such a turn of events would completely and instantly remould the international outlook and, while many reliable students on the scene deny the possibility of Herr Hitler undergoing a "change of heart," shrewd observers emphasise that there is always cool calculation shrouded by heated language in the German policy.