The Waikato Times THURSDAY. AUGUST 24, 1939 RUSSIAN-GERMAN PACT

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20891, 24 August 1939, Page 8

The Waikato Times THURSDAY. AUGUST 24, 1939 RUSSIAN-GERMAN PACT

Whatever the ultimate results of Russia’s non-aggression pact with Germany may be, the immediate danger is that it will strengthen Germany’s hand in the approach to Poland. Panic may give to Germany an advantage which is not warranted by the realities of the situation. Germany may be encouraged to act quickly under cover of the confusion the pact has caused. If that immediate danger period is negotiated safely it may be found there is no need for the extreme pessimism that is evident in some quarters. It seems that the position of the “peace front” has not been materially worsened, but that the hope of recruiting Russia’s active aid to the peace front has, in the meantime at least, been lost. Extraordinary circumstances surround Russia’s agreement with Germany, which, incidentally, has yet to receive final signature. The prolonged negotiations between Britain and the Soviet with the objective of joining Russia to the peace front were watched with alternating hope and doubt, but when recently Russia received military missions from Britain and France embracing the leaders of the three chief lighting services there seemed to be no longer any serious doubt that Russia was collaborating in earnest in an attempt to prevent further aggression in Europe. But there was some hitch in the negotiations upon which the public was never informed. Now comes this dramatic development, which has shocked the peace front and thrown the whole situation into confusion.

Strangely enough, the staff talks among Russia, Britain and France are to continue. This may indicate that Russia, while determined to avoid a clash with Germany, still desires the success of Britain and France in saving Europe from another aggressive war. Individual demands are heard for the recall of the Allied military mission from Moscow, but in the meantime Britain and France apparently do not officially support the sinister view implied by those demands. It must be supposed that during the staff discussions Russia has learned many of the military “secrets” of Britain and France, but it is evidently believed that Russia has not moved so far towards Germany that continued staff discussions will be dangerous.

One of the serious complications of the pact may arise in the Far East. Germany has turned her face against aggressive action against the hated Bolsheviks —the very people whom the German-Italian-Japanese anti-Communist pact was designed to crush. Freed from the menace of the western end of the axis, Russia will undoubtedly give more attention to the eastern member and thus complicate the relations of Germany and Japan. Has not the whole force of the anti-Communist pact been lost since Germany has foresworn aggression against the mainspring of Communism 1 German leaders are at pains to explain to their own people that the pact does not admit of any intermingling of the Russian ideology with the Nazi, but the fact remains that Herr Hitler for the sake of a temporary' advantage has blunted the edge of the weapon with which he had driven his own people into a frenzied campaign of hatred against the “Red menace.”