Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1943. THREE UNHAPPY PUPPETS.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 December 1943, Page 2

Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1943. THREE UNHAPPY PUPPETS.

bombing of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria and a. keypoint?in German railway communications in the Balkans, has been followed up by the American Secretary of State (Mr Cordell Hull) with a pronouncement which appears to be described quite fairly by a Washington correspondent as a move to split the Balkan satellites from the Axis by arousing the peoples to overthrow their governments. Reminding the Bulgarians, Hungarians and Rumanians that their governments, “as Hitler’s servile puppets” two years ago declared war on the United States, Mr Hull observes that these governments will have to share responsibility for the consequences of the terrible defeat which the United Nations’ arms are so surely bringing to Nazi Germany. It is not in doubt that this intimation will make a deep impression in Bulgaria, Rumania and Hungary, and that the German call on these countries to “give a clear answer” to Mr Hull’s warning—an answer demonstrating the solidarity of the Nazi-Balkan alliance —has meaning only in the extent to which the Germans are prepared to enforce the call by brute force and military domination. The call that- is to say, is purely and. simply a threat and the practical question raised is whether Germany, is still in a position to make the threat, effective. That the'thrce Balkan, .satellites of the Nazis would at once break away if they were free to do so is no longer in question. So far as Bulgaria is concerned, enough is known about the current attitude and inclinations of her people to make it quite safe to say that, the reported utterances of her pro-Nazi Ministers are pure nonsense. One of these Ministers, M. Bojilov, lias declared that Bulgarian foreign policy had the approval of 99 per cent of Bulgarians and another, Dr Christoff, that the enemy (the Allies) “will cross the border of Bulgaria only over the bodies of ten million Bulgarians.” At their face value, reports of late developments in Bulgaria suggest that it may not be Jong before these Ministers and their colleagues are hunted from office. How far the Bulgarian proNazis were even in their heyday from commanding full popular support is sufficiently indicated in the fact that they did not venture to declare war on Russia. The simple truth is that all three of Germany’s Balkan satellites have for months been looking for a way out of the war and that only fear of Germany has prevented them as yet from finding that way of escape. In an article in the “Christian Science Monitor” towards the end of October, Mr J. Emlyn Williams, a veteran authority on Central and South-Eastern Europe, observed that:— ’ Hungary’s entire policy at home and abroad is concentrated upon finding a way out of the war without pushing matters to a limit and thereby provoking a German invasion. There is every indication that’an escape from German toils is desired equally by an overwhelming weight of opinion in Rumania and Bulgaria. A stage has now been, reached, or approached closely, at which Germany’s ability to maintain her grip on these disillusioned servitors is likely to be tested decisively. Tn some respects Germany at the moment is favourably placed. It is open to her rapidly to reinforce her occupying forces in all three of the satellite countries. Whether she can afford to do this, however, with the tide running strongly against her on existing battlefronts and an assurance that before long the range of Allied attacks will be extended and enlarged, is another question. Her decision may be that she is bound at, all costs to cling to the Balkans. In that event, however, she will, be building locally on an extremely insecure foundation and will be further and dangerously distributing and dispersing • military resources she might well desire instead to concentrate.