AT A GLANCE: The International Situation

New Zealand Listener, Volume 1, Issue 26, 22 December 1939, Page 9

AT A GLANCE: The International Situation

"The First Year Will Be The Worst And After That Every Fourth" or KEEPING UP WITH THE NEWS A Handy Guide For Harried Readers

Press Association, NEW YORK, December 9: " European correspondents of the New York Times analytically picture a confused political and military scene in a series of dispatches exploring the relationship of last week’s events in the Baltic and Balkan States to Germany and Italy." It was a little complicated, so we had a staff hack clear it all up: ernment and is attacking a revolutionary element remaining in the country because they started it by attacking Russia and refused to do as they were told by what Russia calls the Constitutional Government set up by Russia for Russia to make friends with so that no one could say Russia hit Finland before Finland hit Russia, or that it’s not a fair fight. Britain, France, Mr. Roosevelt, the Dominions (except Mr. Hertzog) and World Opinion, are fighting Germany because Germany said Gimme to Poland and Poland said Won’t and Germany said You Will, because thousands of Germans are being murdered every minute by the Jews and we must defend ourselves; which Germany did by rubbing Poland right out. has made friends with the Finnish GovLemons and Coffee But Russia was not at that time too busy de- fending herself against Finland so she said Gimme to Germany and Germany, which by that time was busy sucking lemons behind the Limes Lines, said O.K. but only half. So Russia took half, and most of Latvia and Esthonia, and shooed all the Germans out of the Baltic back to Germany which everyone thought was one in the eye for Hitler who didn’t mind at the time because they brought a lot of money with them and he needed it to buy raw materials off Russia who became so busy fighting the Finns and perhaps the Japs, and threatening Rumania and Bulgaria and Turkey and Italy and Greece and Yugo Slavia and Hungary and Britain and France and the Dominions over the sea and the New Deal, that she had not time to build more railway lines or open new factories or get British and American engineers to run them, so could not supply the raw materials Germany wanted to buy; so, Germany made a trade treaty with Rumania, who had just made one with The Allies, and sent some men to fix it up and send home coffee samples every day because the British Navy had pinched Hitler's last consignment from Egypt, and Adolf kept waking up as if he hadn’t slept well. How many wars is that? Three. * The Neutrals Now, there are some neutrals. Russia is a neutral in the war between the Allies and Hitler. The Allies and Hitler and Italy (and all the others) are neutral in the war between Russia and Finland. Finland and the Allies and Hitler and Italy (and all the others) are neutral in the war between Russia and Japan, and Russia is neutral (and all others) in the war between Japan and China. And China (and all others) is neutral in the war between Japan and Russia. And Mr, Roosevelt and the Monroe Doctrine are neutral in

them all and only sell arms to the countries that come and get them except that the New York Times gives a lot of space away to those that can't, which is all very helpful. As for Turkey. Turkey is very neutral. Turkey has an agreement with The Allies, an Agreement with Russia, no interest in Finland, Japan, China, or Mr. Roosevelt, and Herr von Papen in Constantinople. It's Difficult for Rumania Now Rumania is in a difficult position. When the Poles ran away they ran into Rumania, which was most embarrassing, because they were running away

from the Germans, who might have run after them, because that would have brought them close to the oil wells and coffee as well as the Poles; and a little later the Poles were running away from the Russians, who might also have run after them and the oil and an outlet to the Mediterranean through Rumania, Hungary, and Yugo Slavia, and a chance to tread on Italy’s toes, for Italy does not like the Russians, but has a treaty with Germany who has a treaty with Russia, and an open sea coast close to French and British naval bases in the Mediterranean and less internal production than consumption and Abyssinia to civilise and Turkey close to Greece with Greece worried about what happened to Albania, so she can’t be too careful. Getting Madder and Madder But for Rumania, that is not all. Mr. Gedye refers to the Bessarabia demand raised semi-officially in Moscow last week and has already (that is Rumania has already) surrendered Bessarabia in all but name and is strengthening the River Prutu fortifications and has Germany wanting to go through to the Black Sea and the Allies wanting to go through to Germany and Russia wanting to go through to

the Commune Internationale (you always use French for these things) and Hungary wanting Russia to help her obtain Transylvania in return for giving Russia her share of the recent Carpathian gains which Hungary is incapable of defending and with Bulgaria possibly having to give Dobruja to Russia and Russia possibly having Bukovina and Germany’s plans for Balkan domination and a route to the sea along the Danube not looking so rosy and Hitler getting madder and madder and people setting fire to the oil wells which are causing most of the trouble although a lot of them are owned ‘by anybody but Rumanians, and Hungary not so keen after all about a pact between Italy and Yugoslavia because it might tend to isolate Rumania and tempt Bulgaria to move against the Dobruja, "Other Ways of Waging War" Of course, Rumania might think Italy would help her but the Rome correspondent says that although Italy has as good as offered Germany an ally against Russia should Russia attack Rumania by reaffirming something called The Axis, she might not help Rumania against Russia because "there are Other Ways of Waging War" which means that it would be more neutral and cheaper to Enter Into Diplomatic Negotiations about what to do with the bits after Russia has broken Rumania up. Still, it might be possible for Rumania to patch things up with Germany in return for more oil and extended credits at a low rate and with little hope of repayment in this short life, and unite with Hungary to stem the Red Tide. What Hungary Hopes But Hungary does not want German troops in Hungary although she would allow Italians to come in across Yugoslavia (except for the Dobruja question and including Rumania) to help Hungary if Italy did decide that there were no other means of waging war but fighting, so Hungary hopes either that both Germany and Russia will be crushed or that Germany will come out strong enough (at the expense, presumably, of The Allies) to balance Russia and avoid an eventual dynamism seeking to unite all Slavs in central and eastern Europe leaving small Magyar and Rumanian islands. More Neutrals Then there is Scandinavia. More neutrals, but things are moving, because neither Sweden nor Norway has joined Denmark’s declaration of neutrality about the war in Finland and if they get mixed up in the Baltic difficulty Germany will lack raw material sources from them as well as from Russia and would look a bit silly siding with Russia in deed as well as word because traditionally all Germans love Swedes and Finns, who were, are, and always will be essentially Nordic, although they are supplying Britain and France with raw materials so long as their ships are not sunk by Germany. All that was made quite clear by the correspondent's dispatches, but the story ended: " Germany’s attitude is an unfathomable riddle." However, we hope to clear that up soon, too,