Herr Hitler, if he has any thought of paving the way to an early peace, is surely going the wrong way about it when he: delivers himself of such speeches as that which he made at Danzig. By some it is regarded as the preliminary to his issuance of a "peace ultimatum." If that is indeed his idea he is sadly mistaken, for not all the Dlustering vehemence with Which he endeavour to present the German case, based on what has been most aptly described as tissue of lies can destroy the impression which perusal of his speech creates that it) is the desperate endeavours of a man con-vineed of his own guilt to persuade the world at large of his innocence. The speech is clumsy, maladroit, and quite the type of thing calculated to confirm the Allies in their determination that his system - must be destroyed before there can be any hope of Peace in the world, The history of the course of events which ultimately led to war has been described by Herr Hitler in manner so twisted from the actual facts of the case, that he probably convinced his. hearers in Danzig that Germany was the victim of Polish aggression, with the Germans humane, and the Poles barbarian, It reads strangely coming from the head of a Government whose high command recently issued an announcement relative to the bombing of open towns, villages, and ham-Jets in Poland, and who himself in his speech resales the possible extension of inhumane warfare. With thousands of square miles of Polish territory overrun by overwhelmingly strong German forces despite the gallant defence of the numerically inferior Poles, with millions of people plunged into despair, and misery by the action of German forces in the territory of another nation, how can reasonably minded person believe anything but that the aggressor was Germany, which having failed to bring the Poles to a position of "Stand and deliver," sought to obgin by force the satisfaction of her outrageous demands? The geography of Europe clearly condemns such utterances as being untrue. The Poles did not invade Germany; Germany did invade Poland, and not all the con-tortious of a twisted reasoning can possibly prove anything else. The facts stand plain for men of all time to see, and Herr Hitler fails in his: attempt to pose as the injured Innocent.
An attempt, which on another occasion might have been clever, to single out Britain as the country really responsible for this tragic outbreak of war, and to drive something in the nature of a wedge between cher, and her Ally, singularly fails, Herr Hitler by his announced policies threatened not only Poland but a number of other nations which sooner or later he designed to bring within his hegemony. He was quite definitely warned by actual word and also by the fact of the guarantees which France, and Great Britain offered: to certain of those threatened countries, that bluff and bluster were no longer useful weapons, and that in certain events Herr Hitler would find himself at war with them. Nothing could have been made plainer, for both the British and French leaders went out of their way to imress upon Herr Hitler that if necessary they would fight. He moved his armies into Poland; he was served with an ultimatum to get out. He refused to do so and thus has invoked the threatened consequences for which he, and he alone is responsible. He alone will be responsible for the continuance of the war. The Allies have left no room for doubt as to their intentions. The liberal tion and restoration of martyred Poland to her former integrity stands in the forefront Of their objectives. To that they have committed themselves, and their commitments are not made one day, and dishonoured the ext. Herr Hitler's assertion that he holds no war aims against Britain, and France is merely a reiteration of what is already known, but the fact that he has no such Ideas does not relieve the Allies of the duty of seeing that smaller nations, having just as much right to existence as the German nation, shall not be destroyed. in the brutal manner in which Czechoslovakis and now Poland have been treated. These People have just as much the right to self= determination as those others for whom Herr Hitler has so often and so glibly claimed In denying i, to them, in seeking to impose his will upon them by force and threatening the peace and security of Europe Herr Hitler has in fact war aims against the Allies. They may be a trifle indirect, but the real truth is that only so long as he is per mitted to have his own way he will have no direct aims against the Allies,—at least for the present.
The American comment that the speech is purely negative, because it fails to ind cate Germany's future course, is correct. Failure to produce anything in the nature of a peace offer is taken to mean that Herr Hitler has not yet completed his current Programme of armed expansion, and there must be some speculation as to where next he will strike. That should not alter the position of the Allies. The fact that Herr Hitler may have temporarily satisfied his territorial ambitions does not necessarily mean thal acquiescence in what he has done would bring anything in the nature of permanent peace to Europe.. The world knows nly too well that even if Here hitler were Solemniy Yo say 0, it would in the light of past experiences be impossible to believe him, and. that the only real remedy of the present ils is to see' that Herr Bille. Feduced to such a position in which ho will De completely without authority. to make Promises or the power to break then," His Sutburst ayainat Me. Winston Church, Mr Duff Cooper and Mi. Anthony" Eden ty th warmongers responsible for" what has. hapened is another wilful distortion of fae, for it was aller he ud embarked upon the invasion of Poland "that these men" were included in the Cabinet, "Up to' that time had been dealing "with the" man_ who brought to Europe "year ayo at "Toast temporary peace, snd stowe: wilh botayal Here Hitler ald: Ue fesmowork of th Dresent struggle. The man who hates Who went (o-great lengths in his search for Deacem-Mr. Neville" Chambetlain-was. the man with whom Hart Hitter Was, dealing He faled to" understand that Mr, Chambers Jains patience. was not. inexhaustible. The fed "too for. "Herr Hitler mancouvred himself tite war whether. Ne wanted it or nol, and he cannot complain ho is given all the war he apparently want, fud perhaps in" overfewing" mast, "BY the time, these. tines appear in prin Chamberlain will probably have replied. to the Danzig speech, and. whatever doubts Herr Hitler may sti have' on the subject should be removed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.