Reports that the Pope is again seeking to mediate in connection with the Danzig crisis is indicative not only of his own personal anxiety lest war should break out, but of the general fear that even now hostilities may be precipitated through some misadventure so long as the present tension continues. There is, however, quite a lot of evidence suggesting that no one in Europe, not even the Dictators themselves, desires a general conflagration, Signor Mussolini most certainly does not, and there are indications that Herr Hitler will seek to attain his ends through peaceful means. The report that the Pope has suggested that Danzig should retain its present status for another five years, by which time European tension might be less, and a compromise settlement possible, is interesting if true. On the face of things as they are there would not seem to be much likelihood that any such suggestion would be acceptable to Der Fuehrer, because it postpones a setilement of the issue for a longer time than he would apparently care to contemplate, while the possibility of arriving at a compromise then would have for him nothing particularly alluring about it He has declared time, and again that only inclusion of Danzig within the Reich would satisfy him, and with the Poles equally determined that the present status of the Free City shall be maintained, it is dif-cult to see how a compromise can be expected now or five years hence. Failure to reach an early settlement must mean that tension will continue so long as the problem is unsolved, and the only possibility seems to be that if Der Fuehrer accepts the advice which it may be assumed Signor Mussolini has sent him by special courier, he will for the time being at least hold his hand. Should the Pope prevail upon Herr Hitler to accept the five year truce it is possible that war may be averted for a very much longer time than that, and His Holiness would be failing in his foreign policy if he did not do everything in his power to avert that catastrophe which an outbreak of war would undoubtedly be. Consequently even though the chances of his appeal succeeding may appear thin that is no reason why he should not make it, while if he succeeds in his self-appointed mission he will have jus fied his policy an indication of which was to be seen when he adopted the papal name of his predecessor.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.