The Wanganui Chronicle WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1939. APPEASEMENT BY CONCESSION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 44, 22 February 1939, Page 6

The Wanganui Chronicle WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1939. APPEASEMENT BY CONCESSION

British policy of appeasement by eoneession to the dictator States is, according to one newspaper report, to be subjected to a revision. There is good reason for such a change of front on the part of the United Kingdom, and that reason is that appeasement is not being attained by the policy of concession. It has been said that the. policy of the British Government has changed in consequence of the action of the Italians in bombing Minorca while the British battleship was in the port Using its good offices to bring about a truce and thus avoid unnecessary bloodshed. The incident was certainly indicative of the Italian mentality at the present time. If it be true that the change in Britain’s attitude is to be made, then it will justify the action of Mr. Anthony Eden when he asked, before he resigned from the Foreign Office, that Italy should show some earnest of its good intentions before Britain implemented the Anglo-Italian Agreement. It, is I rue that the agreement has not, in a full sense, been implemented yet, which is another way of saying that Mr. Eden guessed right at the time of his divergence from the views held by Mr. Chamberlain and Lord Halifax.

Lord Halifax may be regarded as a realist; that is he is prepared to follow any line which promises to give to the United Kingdom that peace which it so much desires. But the idealism of Eden and the realism of Halifax lead nowhere in dealing with the European situation, and the stand pat attitude which Eden advocated seems to-day to be the only attitude consistent with good sense. The greater the concession the greater the following aggression, seems to be the correct interpretation of the present policy of the Axis States.

France appears to be willing to accept the challenge from Italy and has already moved to demonstrate that it is by no means unwilling to take the initiative by strengthening its garrison in Eritieia and retaking possession of territory handed over lo Italy as a result of its agreement in 1935. The step, being bold, may be more wise for that very reason. Italy now knows that it cannot hope to gain from France that which the former desires. Britain will have to carry the risks of ils latest policy and ihar may lead to accepting n challenge from one of the Axis States. Italy is desirous of increasing her hold on the Abyssinian country and to that end she desires to gain possession of the French-owned railway to Jibuti. In order to secure this concession from France she is doing her best to stir up trouble nearer to home, namely in Tunisia. In this she receives moral support from Germany. It must lie remembered that it was Bismarck who enw..u raged France to take, possession of Tunisia in order that there should be a bone of contention between Italy and France and thus prevent them from uniting against Germany in her move in the Neai East. The policy which modern Germany is following is precisely the same as that laid down by the great Bismarck. It has also been successful in Hint it has eliminated Italian influence in Hungary and Austria; it han reduced Italian influence in Jugoslavia and other Balkan States. Germany is endeavouring to re-establish her influence in modern Turkey and has already provided that country with extended credits, so there is every reason for believing that Germany will give to Italy all the encouragement it needs—and she needs little at the moment —to keep the fires of discord burning between the two Latin nations. If there are two countries which should work in harmony with each other it is France and Italy and when that truth is eventually sufficiently realised in Home then it will be, a difficult time for Herr Hitler. When Italy realises that she is unlikely to gain anything by the policy ot making trouble, she will endeavour to discover ways and means to re-establish herself in her natural terrain, the Balkans, and when she does make such an effort, her chief stumbling block will be Germany’s influence and economic dominance. Modern Italy has yet to learn the validity of the advice given by Machiavelli to I he Prince, namely never to become the ally of a stronger Power.