April 21, Herr Adolf Hitler's birthday cele rations have coincided with the publication of some of the conversation passing between him and Mr. George Lansbury on the possible removal of the causes of War.
unofficial discussions of that kind extravagant expectations can not be founded. More than one British statesman, like Mr. Lans" bury, has endeavoured to use'direet approach to Herr Hitler with the admirable intention of discovering.
means for removing obstacles to German ce-operation in the en= deavour to establish a real basis of peace. Those conversations can= not be said to have been valueless international contact of that kind is. Yet their tack of authority has thrown into sharp contrast the bbarrenness of such official conversations as have been arranged with Herr Hitler by British statesmen actually in office and competent to speak for the British Government. It is significant that the announce: ment which Mr. Lansbury was empowered by the German Leader' to make to the world outside Germany has not been released in the German Press, No-one who knows how important it {s to have diplomatic statements fully checked by more than one party to their issue, will be blind to the unwisdom of dispensing with such safeguards to absolute accuracy. No doubt of the sincerity of Herr Hitler or Mr. Lansbury can be felt. What is the statement, according to the latter's version? Reuter renders it:
Germany will be willing to tend a conference and participate in a united effort for establishing economic ce-operation and mutual understanding between the-nations of the world if President Roosevelt or the head of another great coun try will take the lead {0 call any such conference, It will be seen that Whitehall regards this asa logical statement of Herr Hitler's long-established posh tion—readiness to pledge Germany's furtherance of the "cause of international peace and economic cooperation provided her own political freedom is not imperiled in any way". It is by no means impossible that the reiteration may have more significance than appears on. the surface, especially as Mr. Lansbury seems fo have informally conveyed the views of M, Leon Blum, M. Paul van Zeeland and Scandinavia on the anxious problem of rearmament, The recent suggestion that van Zeeland's projected visit to America may, with Franco-British Support, open up consideration of proposals for a world economic conference cannot be loft out of account, It is well to be cautious in pointing out the limitations of a statement which might otherwise raise hdBes impossible of fulfilment, Herr Hitler's personal ascendancy in Germany cannot be ignored especially at a time when enthusiastic celebrations of his birthday so clearly demonstrate the warmth of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.