Wairarapa Times-Age MONDAY, JUNE 26, 1939. THE PEACE FRONT HOLD=UP.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 June 1939, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age MONDAY, JUNE 26, 1939. THE PEACE FRONT HOLD=UP.

MN account of the secrecy of the recent Anglo-Soviet negotiations, the precise nature of the difficulties, amounting pos- > sibly to deadlock, that are now reported to have arisen is le in great part to the imagination. For the sake of all the countries’ concerned and of European peace, however, it must be hoped that some new approach to agreement will be found, and that speedily. The establishment of a strong peace front would.be a. first great step towards safeguarding the tutu of men and nations. Failure to bring together in this jajJ nations which desire to maintain peace would be m the, most literal sense calamitous. It would play directly into the hands of the governments committed to aggression and increase not a little'the danger of their plunging the world into anarchy.

From their own perverted point of view, the protagonists of aggression could ask for nothing better than ail assurance that they will have an opportunity of attacking one by one, oi in limited groups, the countries that are anxmus. to npho c peace, and- to establish a rule of law in dealings between nations. With so much at stake, there should be no occasion for hard bargaining in building up the peace front. All nations which genuinely desire to maintain peace have in common what should be an overwhelming incentive to pool their efforts and resources to that end.

It, lias been suggested again within the last few days that the stumbling block to agreement between Britain and France, on the one hand and Russia on the other isi the difficulty ot reaching an agreement with regard to the Baltic States. ■ is not in doubt that the attitude of these countries—Finland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania —complicates the problems to be solved. Fearing that they may be made cockpits ot war, and entertaining, too, a deep-seated and traditional suspicion and even hatred of Russia, these countries object to being involved in international discussions and agreements and some of them have stated that they would regard guarantees ot their independence by Russia and other nations as an act o. aggression.

On the other hand, the Soviet is reported to contend that bloodless German domination of the Baltic States by economic and other pressure is equivalent to aggression. The danger that at-least, the smaller Baltic States, lying, with Poland, between Germany and Russia, may be captured and developed m this way as advanced posts of Nazi aggression is not to be oicilooked. There is no obvious reason, however, why the existence of that danger should be allowed to impede the constitution of the peace front. Rather an additional reason is thus supplied for hastening the conclusion of an anti-aggression agreement. A peace pact as broadly based as possible is needed to st abilise the total European situation and to contribute to world stabilisation, and there is not much doubt that it would incidentally make for stability and tend to defeat Nazi intrigue in the Baltic areas with which Russia is reported to be particularly concerned. The present attitude of the Baltic States, like that of a number of other small countries in Europe, is perhaps based less on their natural inclinations than on natural tears, or despair, awakened by the recent fate of Austria, Czechoslovakia and Albania.

ft is by the constitution of an effective peace front, if at all, that these fears will be overcome. Against the bitter memories that are held in Finland and the other Baltic States of the brutal and oppressive tyranny formerly imposed on them by Russia, there js to be set the fact that the Baltic States, like the Scandinavian countries, have much in common with the larger European democracies. A firm non-aggression pact between these democracies and Russia would strengthen and safeguard the position of all the small States round the Baltic and in itself might be expected 1o provide Ihe best means of countering the extension of Nazi influence and domination in Baltic territories which Russia is said to apprehend.

Possibly the difficulties that have arisen with regard to the Baltic States might be overcome in the manner suggested by Mr Winston Churchill, when he wrote in a recent, article: —

It is too much to ask these small States at this stage, before the Triple Alliance has been signed, to commit themselves. It is quite sufficient for the three Great Powers to declare that the invasion or subversion of the Baltic States by the Nazis would be an unfriendly act. in the full' diplomatic significance of the term, against the Grand Alliance.

Although he uses the term “Grand Alliance,” Mr Churchill himself points out that the alliances and combinations which Germany’s neighbours have been forced to make are purely defensive and. as he says, “would break into fragments if they were used for purposes of aggression.” It follows as an equally important fact that adhesion to the non-aggression pact Britain and France are endeavouring io conclude with Russia of necessity would be open to all nations genuinely desiring peace and prepared to observe and uphold a rule of law in international affairs. The aim in building up the peace front is not to organise one group of nations in opposition to another, but to wake a beginning in organising the whole world for peace.