Aug. 24, The conclusions arrived at in this column yesterday on the subject of the German-Rus~ sian non-aggression pact prove in view of all that has since come to hand to have been perfectly justified. By a well-timed coup de theatre Herr Hitler has definitely put an end to any hope of Russia being Included in a tripartite military alliance with Great Britain and France, and, though it is contended that it is stil possible for the Anglo-French-Russian talks continue, it must be obvious that the atmosphere of distrust which must now prevail can in no way be conducive of a successful result emanating from such negotiations. The realistic view requires that the situation should be accepted for what it is, and that British and French policy should be based on precisely the same political considerations as those which prevailed prior to entering into negotiations with the Kremlin, Looking back over a brief calendar it will be remembered that, when M. Josef Stalin addressed the Communist Congress in Moscow, on March 11, he roundly denounced the democracies, while at the same time carefully refraining from saying anything to which Herr Hitler might take exception. There followed very shortly after that the seizure of Memel, and, on March 31, Great Britain gave her guarantee to Poland to give her every assistance in the event of her becoming the victim of aggression. On April 13 Britain, and France guaranteed Poland, and Ruman-fa, and it was not until after that that the British Government, yielding to the pressure applied by Labour' and certain sections of the Conservative Party, commenced, on April 15, negotiations for a military alliance with Russia including France. There should be no misunderstanding about this particular and important point; the guarantees given to Poland and Rumania were given regardless of any military alliance with Russia, and from that point of view the failure to arrive at such an alliance, and the conclusion of a German-Russian non-aggression pact have no material bearing upon the attitude of the British and French Governments towards the commitments they voluntarily entered into, At the risk of being accused of calling the grapes sour it, may very well be asked what worth the alliance would have been in any event. As carly as the beginning of th month that question was being asked Britain because of the "purging" from the Russian Army and Navy of seventy-nine of their leading officers, including General Stem, who last year directed the operations against the Japanese at Changkufeng. The repeated removals of senior officers from the Russian forees has created very considerable doubt as to the capacity of the Russian army under the strain of war, and though an alliance would have undoubtedly been better than nothing, there was at no time in official quarters any inclination to place too much reliance upon it. Tt would be better in this instance if the Entente were to decide to let the dead bury dead, and accept the new situation with all its implications. That does not, however, permit of the doctrine being also applied with respect to Herr Hitler. In performing complete right-about-turn from the Anti-Comintern Pact he has as completely betrayed Italy, and Japan as he has betrayed his own undertakings. It will be remembered that when the Munich accord was reached, Der Fuehrer stated that Germany had no further territorial ambitions Europe. The Sudeten question had been settled, and Czechoslovakia, in a somewhat attenuated form had been saved from the perils of war. In a very short while it was completely dismembered, and Herr Hitler himself gave the He to' his assurance con cerning the absence of further territorial ambitions in Europe. There subsequently followed the seizure of Memel. The Munich Pact was not worth the paper it was writ~ fen. on. Germany's nom-agarension pact with Poland was of mo greater valtie, "for that also. was denounced, and the question which Russia may very well be asking her~ Self is exactly what is the worth of the document which is tobe. signed without delay. What xuorantee has the Kremlin that, as and when it suits Herr Hitler, he will' not again. dishonour the signatures of his representatives? Obviously "no. more than had Great Britain, France and even Taly after the Munich adventure. "A nation which' erects a foreign policy upon such a basis is building on quicksands, and Russia may in the end come to regret that. she Was misled into playing so disingenuous 2 game.
There seems to be some sort of idea in the minds of writers to the Japanese press that this betrayal of Japan is not so serious as it would appeal, because this latest development is but' a temporary expedient fon the part of Herr Hitler in order to deal with the Polish crisis, and that, when that has been suitably disposed of, the Anti-Comintern Pact will be restored to ite original purity. That may be a perfectly Sound. argument, Germany might just a readily betray Russia when the opportunity Serves. as she has her two partners (0 the Anti-Comintern Pact, and its other partner to the German-Italian Military Alliance. Sound though it may prove to be, it is an argument which, if Yelled upon in' the pre= sent circumstances, may prove dangerous as a basis for future Japanese. relationship with the Rome-Berlin Axis, for if Herr Hitler can thus lightly throw over his commitments to his partners, what guarantee have they that he would not do so again should he think it suited his purpose? It has long been a theory adopted by the three countries involved that time may outmode treaties, and justify their being disregarded, but even they cannot accept. the theory that that time proceeds with such rapidity that changing conditions can rob _international undertakings of their significance overnight. The pace must prove too rear for either Italy or Japan, if and when that doctrine comes to be directed against them, and it must be apparent that a degree of Uneertainty has been imported into. the relationship of the totalitarian "powers Which may deprive them of that degree of security which they would normally' expect, even in their own peculiar' circumstances, So far as Japan is concerned. there something in the nature of poetic justice that. the doctrine she has been seeking to enforce in the Far East should have been $0 directly turned against herself. in her calings with Germany, and the time: may yet come when she may earnestly wish she ould have been saved from. her friends, She has few enough of them, and one of the scanty remainder has left her badly in the lurch so far as her most important potential enemy is concerned.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.