The enemy propagandists are crowing mightily over the conclusion of a non-aggres—sion pact between Turkey and Bulgaria, but reduced to its proper perspective it cannot by any means amount to anything in the nature of a serious diplomatic reverse for Great Britain. Indeed the value of the pact is largely discounted by the fact of German infiltrations into Bulgaria, whose ability to maintain independent neutrality and freedom of choice must naturally be questioned. The negotiation of the pact it is stated came as no surprise to Britain, for the Turkish Government kept Whitehall apprised of its progress, and maintained an attitude of complete loyalty to the engagements existing between the two countries: In addition it is to be noted that Turkey in one clause of the pact emphasized her close understanding with Great BHtain. What will be Turkey's position should the Gefman troops. move across Bulgaria for the purpose of attacking Greece is not at present clear, and the possibility of Ankara taking action in such an event cannot be altogether discounted, though the probability appears slighter now than it was before.
The United Press carries an interesting story from. Sofia to the effect that the Germans have launched conversations in that city to bring about a quick peace between the Greeks and the Italians. That has been denied by the Greeks. If such conversations have not yet started there is a distinct probability that they may, for the best aid Hitler can give to Mussolini is to extricate him from the mess he has got into by diplomatic means rather than by a military effort which the Greeks with British assistance might decide to resist. The opinion expressed in Sofia is that the signing of the Turko-Bulgarian pact confronts the Greeks with the alternatives of making peace, with occupation, before British forces arrive, or seeing their land become a battlefield should British forces arrive before the Germans move across Bul-gona. That seems to suggest that the Greeks would be expected to accept a peace of surrender, and while it must be admitted that the picture would change considerably should German forces move, the military position in Albania at the moment is not such as to justify their accepting any so humiliate ing a thing.
There is also the position of Yugoslavia to be taken into account. Nothing has yet been made public regarding what occurred when the Yugoslav Premier and Foreign Minister made their recent trip to Germany to discuss. matters with Hitlers government. Yugoslavia is being gradually isolated, and while its government undoubtedly desires to maintain its independence and neutrality, it is obvious that enormous German pressure is being Bought to bear upon it, with the possibility that it may ultimately succumb. Should that occur it would mean that that country would be brought fully under the dominance of the Axis, and would be just as completely despoiled as others who have already gone the same way. It is unlikely that Yugoslavia would be able to offer effective resistance to any military action by the Germans. That possibility commenced to disappear as one after another of the Balkan States were swept into the voracious maw of the Germans, and these latest developments may: very possibly mean the end of Yugoslav independence and freedom for the time being.
There is something paradoxical about the Turkish-Bulgarian non-aggression pact, and that is that while those two countries mutually agree to refrain from attacking each other, Bulgaria is actually being assaulted by the German method of penetration which must in the end deprive her of her freedom. The process has not yet gone so far as it has in Rumania, but the reduction of the Bulgarian Government to the merest shadow of authority is only a question of time, and that not very long. One thing may be certain; these diplomatic acrobatics of the Germans will not in the long run effect the outcome of this war. Hitler has achieved nothing but paper successes since the fall of France. Mussolini has accumulated nothing but defeat on land, on sea and in the air, while Germany has been engaged in building up a crazy structure the foundations of which are based upon the hatred of suppressed peoples, who await the moment when they can again strike for freedom.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.