The Waikato Times MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1940 GERMAN PRESSURE ON VICTIMS

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21219, 16 September 1940, Page 6

The Waikato Times MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1940 GERMAN PRESSURE ON VICTIMS

Those who remember what occurred in Czechoslovakia will not** be surprised to hear that Germany is making further demands on Fiance and Rumania. The integrity of Czechoslovakia was “guaranteed ” for a while, but France has not had even that “ assurance.’’ In accordance with the armistice terms France undertook to maintain the German armies of occupation, and has now been presented with a bill for 50,000,000,000 francs, which the Bank of France has agreed to make available. It would be interesting to know how far France’s i esponsibility extends, - whether she will be forced to pay, for instance, for the hundreds of thousands of German troops poured into France in anticipation of an invasion of Britain. France was a rich country and it may be part of the German plan to bleed Frenchmen white in providing the wherewithal to attack Britain. Germany is now reported to have demanded the surrender of half of the livestock in France, and Italy has demanded the demobilisation of all French forces in North Africa. Some friction has arisen with the Vichy Government, which is said to be in a parlous position and may be dismissed. It is even suggested that Germany may complete the occupation of the whole of France. These developments would be only in accord with Germany’s policy in other conquered countries. First a foothold is obtained by specious means, and then the pressure is increased until the last remnants of resistance are broken down. France in its desperation failed to realise the awful fate it was accepting when it agreed to the German armistice terms. Marshal Petain can expect to maintain a government in i ranee only as long as it suits the German programme. In Rumania, too, the same tactics are being pursued. As was expected when Rumania was forced to divide its territory and render itself impotent as a defensive unit, the German minorities, as they did in Czechoslovakia, are demanding autonomy. They want their own language and complete freedom to organise and rule themselves. How can the tender-hearted Fuehrer resist such pathetic appeals ? He could not resist the Sudeten Germans’ cry, and he is unlikely to turn a deaf ear to the Rumanian minorities, even though their demands have been encouraged and organised in Germany itself. It is just a repetition of that overbearing, Hunnish practice of undermining independent States by underground, criminal methods which cannot be justified by any canon of international conduct. “ Germany over all ” is the aim, and to the Nazi mind one method is as good as another. Germany has made new laws and set new standards of conduct. This is a foretaste of the world that would be were Hitler’s schemes to succeed. There is no more convincing proof that the democratic countries must fight as they have never fought before to rout out this evil that is spreading over Europe. Surrender to the Beast of Berlin would usher in an era without precedent in history. Its cruelty, its violence and its inhibitions would be far worse than any of the rigors of war. Britain fortunately has had ample warning of what Germany intends, and is firmly resolved that there can be no treating with a system which in itself is evil.