PRESS VIOLENCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23430, 21 August 1939, Page 9

PRESS VIOLENCE

ATTACKS ON POLAND FAMILIAR NAZI TACTICS "NERVE WAR" PROCEEDING WEAPON LOSING EFFECT By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received August 20, 8.20 p.m.) British Wireless LONDON, Aug. 19 An increase in the political tempo appears in reports from European capitals reproduced in to-day's newspapers. The outstanding item in the tale of diplomatic activity, which covers all the main centres, including the Vatican, was the, conversations of the Hungarian Foreign Minister, Count Czaky, in Rome yesterday, following his recent talks while at Salzburg with Herr von "Ribbentrop.

The announcement of a new military arrangement between Germany and Slovakia takes tlio lending place among reports and rumours of military preparations by the Reich. The Polish and German minorities on their respective sides of the frontier contribute to the series of "incidents" of recent days, which extend from Danzig to the Hun-garian-Rumanian frontier. Britain Not Deluded

Prominence is given in the press to the violent attacks on Poland which are appearing in the German newspapers as part of the campaign which is said to bear a close resemblance to that conducted last summer against Czecho-Slovakia. It is believed one object of tliis misrepresentation, in addition to inflaming German opinion at home, is to create anxiety in Britain about the British guarantee by suggesting that. Poland is likely to misuse the promise of Britain and France to come to her aid. for forward aggressive designs. This rather obvious manoeuvre has no chance of success here, because, even if the British public is not as reassured as is Whitehall by the continued evidence of restraint of the Polish Government and of responsible Polish opinion, their common sense tells them that, in the words of ono British newspaper commentator this week: "A country which knows her own soil will be a battlefield if war come¥ will not wage war while any alternative is open." Preparation of Treaties

In connection with the visit to London of Dr. Kulski. legal adviser to the Polish Foreign Office, and his call at the Foreign Office with the Polish Ambassador, it is understood satisfactory progress is being made with the drafting of a treaty formally embodying the British and Polish guarantees. The same, incidentally, applies to the treaty with Turkey. No urgency attaches to the signature of the treaty between the two Governments, since the esseptial guarantee was so elearlv expressed in the declaration made by the Prime Minister. Mr. Chamberlain.

From the comment of diplomatic correspondents of the daily newspapers and expressions of editorial opinion in weekly journals it is possible to" get a composite picture of the view of the European situation taken in well-in-formed but unofficial quarters here. It is a commonplace of the discussion that a "war of nerves" is in progress, and the technique, it is often said, is ngw so well understood that the weapon is thought to have lost most of its effectiveness. j Among aspects of the apparent deterioration of the European situation reported ,over the last few days which attract serious attention are those indicating a,renewal of the tendency to invoke deceptive generalities like "prestige" and "national honour." The concern which this tendency arouses may be attributed to the thought, expressed or unexpressed, that those who use such phrases run the risk, through neglect of the realities of the situation, of leaving themselves with no escape from the path which leads to destruction—destruction in which, unfortunately, all may be involved to a greater or less extent.