Feb. 20.
The enemy propagandists are crowing. taightily over the conclusion of a non-aggression 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 largely discounted by the fact of German trations 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 is not strictly in line with the facts, since no surprise to Britain, for the Turkish Britain, as the leader of the resistance to the Government kept Whitehall apprised of its 'Nazi menace, is very far from showing signs progress, and maintained an attitude of-com-of collapse,' On the contrary, Britain has plete loyalty to the engagements existing taken the offensive in the air and at sea, between the two countries. In addition it and is the cause of an unprecedented number to be noted that Turkey in one clause of of brain-storms and outbursts of temper in the pact emphasized her close understanding Hitler's premises in Berlin and in his retreat with Great Britain. What will be Turkey's at Berchtesgaden, which he finds more composition should the German troops' move fortable owing to the air raids on Berlin. across Bulgaria for the purpose of attacking The gestures towards Italy, made by Greece is not at present clear, and the pos-Britain and France, before Mussolini brought sibility of Ankara taking action in such an his country into the war, were construed in event cannot be altogether discounted, though Rome as signs of weakness. They were noth the probability appears slighter now than it ing of the sort. Tt was not until it was shown was before. that the German break-through over the 'The United Press carries an interesting Meuse was on a major scale that Mussolini story from Sofia to the effect that the Ger- 7 had the courage to do moe than make him= mans. have launched conversations in that self a nuisance' to the Allies. The break-city to bring about a quick peace between through occurred on May 12 and 13; On May. the Greeks and the Italians. 'That has been 14 the Fascists staged an anti~Allied demén-denied by the Greeks. If such conversations stration in Rome, burning a coffin draped have not yet started there is a distinct prob-with the French' and British flags, outside ability that they may, for the best aid the British embassy. The coffin was, of 'Hitler can give to Mussolini is to extricate course, the symbol of the death, of' the him from the mess he has got into by diplo-British and French empires—and how matic means rather than by a military effort false it has turned out to be! Thereafter, as which the Greeks with British assistance the German advance progressed and it be~ might decide to resist. The opinion express-came increasingly obvious that the situation ed in Sofia is that the signing of the Turkoof the British and French forees in Flanders Bulgarian pact confronts the Greeks with the was becoming desperate, anti-Allied demon-alternatives of making peace, with occupation, tions in Italy became more and more before British forces arrive, or seeing their violent. At this point President Roosevelt Tand become a battlefield should British forces intervened with a message to Mussolini, arrive before the Germans move across Bul-urging him to keep Italy out of the' conflict. gona. That seems to suggest that the Greeks The message was not answered for many would be expected to accept a peace of sur-days, and then only when Mussolini had cast render, and while it must be admitted that the dle and Italy was in the war. On May the picture would change considerably 18 the "Popolo d'Italia," one of the leading should German forces move, the military journals among the Fascist controlled press, position in Albania at the moment is not such said, in answer to President Roosevelt: "We as to justify their accepting.any.so humiliate regard ourselves in fact as having already ing a thing. intervened." On the next day, Count Ciano, There is also the position of Yugoslavia to the Italian Foreign Minister, declared in a be taken into account. Nothing has yet been speech in commemoration of the first anni-made public regarding what occurred when versary of the German-Italian alliance: the Yugoslav Premier and Foreign Minister "Italy cannot remain absent from the present made their recent trip to Germany to -dis-terrible struggle which will forge the destinies cuss matters with Hitler's government. of. the world" Conerete evidence that 'Yugoslavia is being gradually' isolated, and Mussolini agreed with him was. given on while its government undoubtedly desires to May 24, the day that the Germans reached maintain its independence and neutrality, it Calais in their drive along the Channel coast, is obvious that enormous German pressure is, when the Italians "postponed" the departure being brought to bear upon it, with the pos~ of all trans-Atlantic liners. On May 26 sibility that it may ultimately succumb.
Mussolini conferred with the General staffs Should that occur ft would mean that that of his army and navy. 'The Allied position country would be brought fully under the on that day looked hopeless. On the follow-dominance of the Axis, and would be just ing day, the Allies made big concessions to completely despoiled' as others who have Italy in regard to the iolockade, which wom already gone the same way. It is unlikely not well received. President Rooscva}t_fhe that Yugoslavia would be able to offer effec next day sent another personal.anasn¥to tive-resistance fo any military action by the Mussolini, but he was. too. busy, confersing=cae Germans. That possibility commenced to with his general staffs to receive it. All the disappear as one after another of the Balkan time, British and French ministers were States were swept into the voracious maw declaring that no matter what happened the of the Germans, and these latest develop-war would be continued until Nazism was ments may very possibly mean the end of defeated. As it tured out, the French as~ Yugoslav independence and freedom for the surances were not carried out, but Mussolini time being. now knows that the British meant what they There is something paradoxical about the said. He had plenty of warning, plenty of Turkish-Bulgarian non-aggression pact, and that is that while those two countries mutufriendly advice, but he chose to ignore it all, ally agree to refrain from attacking each Tt is possible that a somewhat similar situa~ other, Bulgaria is actually being assaulted tion is developing in the Far East, Though by the German method of penetration which the tempo of events is considerably slower must in the end deprive her of her freedom. than those which occurred just prior to the 'The process has not yet gone so far as it collapse of France, there seem to be the same has in Rumania, but' the reduction of the exchanges of warnings and threats in this Bulgarian Government to the merest shadow part of the world as there were in Europe of authority is only a question of time, and uring the critical days of May and June. that not very long. One thing may be cer-But this time the warnings are backed with tain; these diplomatic acrobatics of the Ger-a greater display of force, and the threats mans will not in the long run effect the out-are received by an Empire which is strong come of this war. Hitler has achieved noth-enough to take them and ignore them. There ing but paper successes since the fall of Should be no mistake made in the Far East France. Mussolini has accumulated nothing such as was made in the Mediterranean by but defeat on land, on sea and in the air, Mussolini. The latter had many more ox-while Germany has been engaged in build: cusses for being deceived than have the states-ing up a crazy structure the foundations of men in Tokyo today. It appeared to him which are based upon the hatred of sup then that the war was all but over. He pressed peoples, who await the moment when could see for himself that the great power they can again strike for freedom. of France was humbled, if not almost exterminated. Britain stood to lose the greater part of her army, trapped in Flanders by a
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.