BRITAIN, GERMANY AND ITALY.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 121, 8 June 1937, Page 6

BRITAIN, GERMANY AND ITALY.

We are hearing a good deal just now abou,t Germ&n advances with a view to establishing more int^imate and friendly relations with Great Britain. Herr Hi^ler and his iieutenants, however, speak in so many differer/fc voices that it is very difficult even to guess at what mafy be the trtie meaning of what they say .and what it is tjhey are really driving at. To-day we are told that the, whole German press has w&rmly welcomed some speech delivered by the new British Ambassador to Berlin, but, as. the German press is very thoronghly ttnder control, it m.ay be taken that this is not neeessarily an expression of public feeling but " rather is something. published by orjder of the Fulirer. When we come to necall what the .sar^ae press, even within the last few months, has had to say about Gfeat Britain there cannot but he some little misgiving as to the sincerity of its present effusiveness. This also prompts a search for the motives that lie behind it. No doubt, in the first, place, Germany is pretty thoroughly impressed hy Great Britain's rearmament programme and feels that the time fior bluffing is about over so far as she is cs^erned. Perhaps carrying still more weight are eionomic reasons for, whate,ver may be said, there can be little doubt that Germany 's own vast expenditure on rearinament must have fairly well exfcausted her financial resources. The many restrictions and restraints that are being imposed upon the people in their dail'y living are fairly good proof of this. Germany's attempts at creating internal conditions of "self-sufficiency" have failed, as they have failed elsewhere. So she is desperately anxfous to secure some revival of her foreign trade and, like Great Britain, to get her wares into foreign markets in exchange for the foodstuffs and raw material she so badly ineeds. With Great Britain and her dominions in the forefront of those who are making economic recovery, it can be readily understood why Germany should wish to stand well with thein. These are probably the main reasons why, at the moment, ^ Herr Hitler is seizing whatever opportunity offers to cultivate inore cordial relations with Great Britain. At the same time, , however, the diffioulty must present itself to him of keeping In with Signor Mussolini, upon whose aid he has largely to rely for the mamtenance of the idea of dietatorship rule. In one of yesterday 's messages mention was made of Herr Hitler 's "dislike and mistrust" of the Italians. There may be, probably is, a good deal of trutfi in this, for in more than one direction the ambitions and aspirations of the two dic- . tators have aJready clashed and are likely to further clash. Especially is this the case with regard to Austria, whieh Herr Hitler is keenly desirous of bringing within the Nazi Reich, while Signor Mussalini is equally desirous of seeing its independence preserved. In this partciular connection the latter, in order to assure himself of his fellow dictator's support in case of need, has certainly given way a little. At the same time, however, we may be sure that each is keeping a watchful and jealoits eye on the" other's movements in the remnant of the old Austro-Hungarian monarehy, and also elswehere among its neighbouring States. But, while there may thus be no true friendly feeling between the rulers of Germany and Italy, there are still points of high policy in the kindred conceptions o£ Fascist and Nazi government which almost compel them to stand together. How Herr Hitler is to reconcile this attitude with* an approach to Great Britain, who just now is anathema to Signor Mussolini, has yet to be revealed. Certainly we are now being told that there is no real foundation for the announeement by Signor Mussolini 's mouthpiece that a set pact of mutual defence had been entered into between Germany and Italy, but as yet there is no confirmation of this from Berlin.