ANGLO-GERMAN PACT

Taranaki Daily News, 13 July 1935, Page 7

ANGLO-GERMAN PACT

ROAD TO DISARMAMENT CHANCE FOR HERR HITLER CONTRIBUTION TO PEACE British Wireless. Rugby, July 11. Sir Samuel Hoare spoke first of disarmament and the recent Anglo-German naval agreement. The agreement; he said, , was in. no sense selfish. Any agreement made with Germany had obviously to be of such a character that it did not prejudice but furthered the pqpspects of a general naval treaty. There seemed overwhelming reasons why in the interests of peace—the main objective of the British foreign policy—the opportunity that offered should be seized. There had been too many opportunities for disarmament slip away in the last 15 years and each lost opportunity had led to fear and unrest and greater armaments. Here was a chance to eliminate what had been the chief cause of.embitterment of public feeling between Britain and Germany before the war—naval competition—to eliminate by a declaration of the German representatives the unrestricted use of submarines against merchant shipping and to secure an agreement which on naval grounds seemed manifestly to the advantage of the other naval Powers, including France. Turning to the question of the air pact Sir Samuel Hoare declared: “We are anxious for an air pact accompanied by air limitation. It looked at first sight a simple affair, but the five Powers, including France and Germany, had to be brought to negotiation and agreement, and the French and several other European Governments took the view that it was impossible to dissociate the air pact from certain other conditions of peace. DANGEROUS AREAS. "We have worked so long and closely with our French friends in past years that it is both wise and right to take into account these very real anxieties, for here ’ you come again to another aspect of unity of peace. There are many Governments in Europe that regard the centre and east of Europe as dangerous areas. Certain of them go so Air as to believe that an air pact separated from the settlement of other questions would make the danger in the east even more acute than it is.

“While I cannot go the length o£ those fears I do, none the less, agree that a war started in central or eastern Europe might—indeed, judging by experience, probably would—lead to a general conflagration and that on this account it is essential to deal without delay with any danger points that may exist. This is the reason why the British Government is most anxious to see an eastern and Danubian pact of non-aggression ratified at the earliest possible date. “The German Chancellor agreed during the Stresa Conference that objection would not be raised to the conclusion by others of pacts of mutual assistance provided no more was expected of Germany than agreements of non-aggression or consultation and denial of. assistance to aggression,” continued the Minister. “The German Chancellor further stated in a recent speech that the German Government was ready in principle to conclude pacts of non-aggression with its individual neighbours and supplement them by every provision which aims at isolating combatants and localising warmakers. “The French Government has notified the German Government that it accepts the German proposals as a basis of negotiation. I believe the Danubian pact is susceptible of similar treatment. There is therefore in the opinion of His Majesty’s Government now no longer any reason at all why rapid progress should not be made toward the conclusion of

an eastern pact. “It is now in the power of the German Chancellor to make a real contribution to the cause of peace which will remove the cause of anxiety from the. minds of many Governments not only in central and eastern Europe but in western Europe as well. I would urge him to make it. I think, indeed, that he will be serving his own cause by making it.. “He himself spoke very frankly in his speech on May 21 and he will, X know, feel no resentment if I speak equally frankly. We here—indeed, the world at large—have been disturbed not only'by Germany’s programme of rearmament but also by certain other phenomena in modern Germany. None the less, we have taken the Chancellor at his word and only in the last few weeks have we been given practical proof of it by concluding with him the naval agreement. We have thereby, as we hope, taken a step forward on the road to reconciliation; but reconciliation, like peace, is one k and manifold. Let him now therefore take the next necessary step forward and help 'on the negotiation of the eastern and Danubian pacts, thereby giving a great impulse to the conclusion of an air pact, which I know he desires.” Sir Samuel Hoare added: “This leads me naturally to a subject which I desire particularly to mention —the independence and integrity of Austria. Time after time we have explained our concerned view thdt Austria occupies strategically and economically the key to the

position in Europe, and that a change in her status would shake the foundations of European peace. For our part we wish to see these questions all settled and with that sincere intention of settlement let simultaneous dis ussion start upon them alh”.