BRITISH REPLY TO HITLER

Southland Times, Issue 23735, 6 February 1939, Page 7

BRITISH REPLY TO HITLER

Trade Co-operation

Desired

NO WISH TO EXCLUDE GERMANY ,

(British Official Wireless) RUGBY, February 3. In a speech at Hull, the Foreign Secretary (Viscount Halifax) commented on Herr Hitler’s (recent speech to the Reichstag, particularly on those passages which dealt specifically with Germany and her relations with Britain and other Powers. Lord Halifax said that he could add nothing to the Prime Minister’s words on Tuesday, but he would refer to Herr Hitler’s statement that Germany must export or die. No doubt that was true of Germany; it was certainly true of the United Kingdom. He took exception to the suggestion by Herr Hitler that the last war had been waged to exclude Germany from world trade, pointing out that Germany was Britain’s best foreign customer before the Great War and that German and British trade had flourished together. No two countries were more closely bound together by a commercial and financial partnership than Germany and Britain, said Lord Halifax. Why should Britain then wish to exclude Germany from world trade? What had destroyed trade was the waste of capital and labour on unproductive purposes such as armaments, lack of confidence and the fear of war. Lord Halifax also commented on the statement a few weeks ago in wnich the President of the United States (Mr Franklin D. Roosevelt) gave striking expression to the many ideals which were held in common by the American and British peoples. In these times, which were revolutionary, they must recognize that things would be done which would shock the moral sense of the people, but responsible statesmen must bear in mind that the end of all their efforts must be to resist the forces that would destroy peace. In another part of his speech Lord Halifax analysed the two elements which in the modern world added, to the difficulties and complexities of international affairs. The relations bstween the State and the individual-— which, for the British people, had been formally established on the basis of liberty and respect for human personality—were elsewhere (replaced by philosophies which were opposed to many things that they in Britain regarded as fundamental. It was this lack of philosophies which, in addition to the legacy of feeling and disturbances left by the Great War, was responsible for the present atmosphere in which intolerance was often regarded as a sign of strength and tolerance as weakness. Herr Hitler had predicted a long period of peace and no one hoped more devoutly than did he (Lord Halifax) that this prediction would be fulfilled. With a real assurance of peace economic development would be possible. ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE The Foreign Secretary said he did not propose to discuss the extent to which the difficulties of Germany or any other country might be reduced by any action within the power of a single country to take, but he did know that so long as the world remained an armed camp the present difficulties would persist for all. If there was any one thing that was certain it was that basic economic standards—the amount and the quality and the price of the food that the people ate, the rents and taxes that they paid—could not be improved unless all the nations worked together for the common good. That Britain was prepared to do at all times, and as an example of a better method Lord Halifax cited the recent successful Anglo-German coal negotiations and expressed the hope that the forthcoming negotiations, with a wider scope, between the British and German industries would be equally successful. In such an atmosphere it could be understood if some people were tempted to abandon their efforts for ■under-standing-efforts that seemed to bring no reward.

Lord Halifax praised the perseverance and courage of Mr. Chamberlain in his efforts to restore confidence in Europe. It was in the spirit of these efforts that Mr. Chamberlain had gone to Rome. With no country had British differences been sharper in the recent past than with Italy. The fascist regime was totally different from the British system, and Italy formed part of the Rome-Berlin axis, which was essentially the point in Italian policy, just as the Anglo-French entente was the point in British policy. Nevertheless, impressions which remained uppermost in the Foreign Secretary’s mind after his visit were the cordiality of Signor Mussolini, the spontaneous enthusiasm with which the Italian people had greeted the Prime Minister, and the very definite assurance which he and the Prime Minister had received from Signor Mussolini that the policy of Italy was one of peace. ITALY’S PROMISE Speaking of the Mediterranean in particular, Signor Mussolini had assured them he was well satisfied with the Anglo-Italian agreement by which both parties undertook to respect the status quo in the Mediterranean, and he had also emphatically declared, that once the Spanish civil war was over all Italian military support would be withdrawn and he would have nothing to ask from Spain by way of territorial concessions.

Lord Halifax spoke of Italian relations with France and said that so long as they wete what they were they were bound to cause concern to Britain, for whom close contact and co-operation with France, based upon an identity of interests, were the fundamentals of foreign policy. Therefore, while that state of things between Italy and France continued it was not possible for international tension to be reduced in the way they would like .to see it reduced in an area where British interests were directly and vitally concerned. Referring to British armed- strength, Lord Halifax said that on the sea, on the land and in the air. as a result of the last two or three years’ intensive drive, Britain was a long way on the iroad to resuming her ancient strength. If trouble came, and there Was a temptation in any quarter to think that Britain would not give a good account of herself, those holding that opinion would make a very bad mistake.