Hitler to the Powers

Sabre-scarred, be-monocled aristocrats of the Wilhelmstrasse (German Foreign Office) winced when Adolf Hitler ordered them to send to his Realmchancellery the entire diplomatic correspondence of Germany relating to armament & security since the War. In effect the Little Man who is now so big said: "Stand back and leave German diplomacy to me in this crisis!"

The crisis, the dilemma: Whether to accept or to reject the Anglo-French declaration made in London (TIME, Feb. 11) by His Majesty's Government with new, dynamic French Premier Pierre Etienne Flandin and his astute, peasant-born Foreign Minister, Pierre Laval.

Substance of this declaration:

Eastern Locarno: Germany is invited to participate in a "general settlement" embracing i) Germany's return to the League of Nations; 2) Germany's adherence to an Eastern Locarno Pact to prevent aggression in either direction across Germany's eastern frontiers; 3) acceptance by the Great Powers of Germany's present degree of rearmament even though it flatly violates the Treaty of Versailles.

Air Pact: The Fatherland is invited to join Britain, France, Italy and Belgium in a pact to "undertake immediately to give the assistance of their air forces to whichever of them might be the victim of unprovoked aerial aggression."

Austria: Britain and France postulate their adherence with Italy to the principle of maintaining Austria independent and invite Germany to adhere.

To grapple with this Anglo-British declaration Adolf Hitler canceled all other engagements for ten days. The sabre-scarred aristocrats hoped that the mountains of documents were giving him headaches. Seated amidst them Der Reichs-fu"hrer talked with Germans whom he trusts, emerged daisy-fresh, dashed to his Bavarian mountain snuggery. There, amid rarefied ozone, the Hitler intuition functions best. Last week the Realmleader again proved he is nobody's fool by releasing a declaration grudgingly admitted in Paris to be "extremely clever."

Coos & Bombs-In foreign policy Herr Hitler's cleverness characteristically exhibits itself by eschewing the blatant, bellicose tone with which he delights Germans. It was no mean feat for Der Reichs-fu"hrer to achieve last week a declaration so mild that it was buried by the Jewish-sympathizing New York Times on page four.

"The German Government," cooed Adolf Hitler, "welcomes the spirit of trustful discussion" invoked by France and Britain. With masterly omission, he ignored the Eastern Locarno and the Austrian pacts. With sure intuition, the Little Man grown big sensed that he might insert discord between Britain and France by accepting, only that part of their declaration upon which John Bull sets most store: the Air Pact against unprovoked aerial aggression. Accepting this "in principle," the Realmleader declared that his Government "is therefore willing to seek, in free accord with the powers concerned, ways and means by which such a convention can be realized. . . ."

To John Bull what could seem fairer? But Jean Jacques observed with anguish that Germany, forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles to have any fighting air force whatsoever, was merely offering to sign a pact which must legalize her air arm. Not a word about rejoining the League of Nations or participating in that "general settlement" in which France is willing to legalize German rearmament. Cleverly Herr Hitler, trading upon the British fear of being shaken again by German bombs, invited His Majesty's Government last week "to enter into a direct exchange of views with the German Government."

Reactions-In Moscow the Soviet Government, original sponsor with Republican France of the Eastern Locarno, last week betrayed acute anxiety. Attacked by a ludicrous case of the jitters, No. 1 Soviet Publicist Nikolai Bukharin conjectured that the day may come when Germany and Japan will try to chase the Russian people from their eastern and western frontiers to cold refuge among the Ural Mountains!

Next move was clearly up to British Foreign Secretary Sir John Simon, virtually invited by Realmleader Hitler to come to Berlin. As meaningly as possible, the British Foreign Office announced that on Feb. 28 Sir John will visit Paris, cannot consider treating with Germany until he has first exhibited once more his solidarity with France. This clean-cut snub to Hitler was then blurred by admitting that perhaps Sir John's brilliant young diplomatic sidekick Capt. Anthony Eden (who prefers to be styled "Mr. Eden") may soon hurry to Naziland.

-Up from the River Thames last month was dredged an unexploded Imperial German bomb, dropped by a Zeppelin during the War, which missed the Houses of Parliament by a stone's throw.

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