One of the typical pieces of German bombast is the comment of the spokesman of the German Foreign Office on the subject of the recent visit of Ribbentrop to Rome and the conversations which took place there. These, he said, referred to "all questions which are of importance in bringing Britain to her knees They are based on the fundamental idea which the Axis Powers have emphasized often enough of late: There can be no compromise—there will be, therefore, also.no compromise peace." If the corusca~ tion of intellect which gathered at Rome has really come to that conclusion, it is obvious that the words of Mr. Winston Churchill have at Long last penetrated the brains of Hitler and: his. accomplices, and that they have finally understood that Britain is fighting for the utter destruction of the evil thing which is Naztism. There has been at no time on the part of Great Britain any declaration that she would be willing to accept anything but the complete elimination of Nazi dominance in Europe. That has been made plain time and time again, and the fact that Ribbentrop and Ciano have ultimately realized that there Will be no such thing as a compromise peace is tobe welcomed, It has not been Great Britain who has put out peace feelers. Indeed they have been turned down when made by Hitler in a manner which should have convinced him that though he started this war Great Britain will finish it for him. Even in his uneasy speech pleading for a return to common sense the desire for peace is to be found—a peace which, however, would leave him with the spoils of war—and there cannot be the slightest doubt that if a compromise peace were offered him,—something which is inconceivable,—Hitler would be only too glad to call this war off. But the war aims of Great Britain, the reasons why she accepted, with France the challenge of the German invasion of Poland, involve a struggle for the liberation of nations at present the victims of Nazi violence and treachery. The war will not be concluded until those aims are achieved, and because of that the British will be in complete agreement with the enemy leaders that there will not, and cannot be any compromise peace.
The remark that the conversations centred round the question of bringing Britain to her knees is exactly one of those deep, re-voding glimpses into the obvious which are to be expected from the enemy leaders. No one for a moment believed that the assembly in Rome was for the purpose of considering anything else than the perpetration of some new foulness. The world has come to know its Nazis end Fascists. But it would be interesting to know what else the enemy leaders discussed in the longest conference they have held since the war began; whether, for example Ribbentrop sought to explain to Ciano why the Blitzkrieg against Britain had not gone according to schedule, and why they were still at war after the alleged finishing date of August 15. If in Rome there is a tendency to cast some doubt upon the infallibility of der Führer it will not be surprising. He has drawn the Italians into a long war when he promised them a short one.
Quite clearly what must have been discussed at Rome was some means of obtaining some successes to satisfy the enemy peoples who have been brought to the realization that Britain is not only fully capable of defending herself, but is carrying the war into their own territory. Weeks have passed since Hitler was able to announce any outstanding success. Various shifts have been resorted to as substitutes, particularly the latest endeavour by the German Press to stir up indignation over the bombing at Bielefeld,—a military objective as the site of important precision instrument factories. If the German anxieties cannot be allayed with stories of victories, they must be aroused fo what, with them in their complete state of ignorance, must seem to them righteous indignation. The tendency of the enemy to magnify outpost engagements in Egypt into major engagements is an attempt to satisfy them with tales of victory. It is a threadbare business, and while it may deceive the Germans and the Italians, carries no conviction to the outside world. But it must be remembered that the enemy have decided that there can be no compromise peace. That is what Great Britain has been telling them all along.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.