March 1.
That the situation between Great Britain and Bulgaria is rapidly becoming more serious is demonstrated by the statement which Mr. George William Rendal, British Minister to Sofia, gave to British and American news correspondents on Thursday. He stated that the time was getting very near' when Britain will sever relations with Bul-ria, adding that Britain would declare war that the Germans now in Bul could no Defore committing hostile acts, and alleging'
Jonger' be called technicians as they were in fact the forerunners of occupation. It seems likely that the same procedure will be: followed as in Rumania. As soon as the German domination of that country was definitely assured, Britain had to break off diplomatic relations with her, and withdraw her diplomatic representatives. Obviously they could not be expected to remain, and suffer the humiliations to which the Germans and German influenced officials would undoubtedly subject them. At the same time it was plain that British representations would be of little effect upon a Government which had sold itself and its country to the common enemy, and though Great Britain has not yot declared war upon Rumania the probability of her doing so must not be discounted.
Should Germany invade Bulgaria, with or without her consent, Bulgaria would inevit tably become a theatre of war, in which Britain would be entitled to take whatever sation she might consider necessary against the Germans quite regardless of what might happen to the Bulgarians. The departure from Bulgarian neutrality, patchy as it has been all along, would open the way for the British to proceed with the bombing of the Rumanian oilfields and refineries, a contingency against which Germany has prepared by the despatch of a substantial air force to protect them. But what of the Bulgarians themselves? With the masses chiefly pro-Slay in sentiment, and certainly having no rear liking for the Germans, the officials are of the opposite way of thinking. They have sold their people into German bondage and nothing Lut a victory for Britain and her Allies can hope to save them from enslavement. Furthermore the influence which Soviet Russia wielded in the Balkan States is now nearly almost whittled away, for only' Yugoslavia remains,—exeepting of course Greece;—outside German domination. The fact of the matter is that Mussolini has lost his sphere of influence in the Balkans just as Russia is losing hers, and while the latter may not choose to challenge what Hitler is doing, and the former dare not, Hitler is busily engaged in making hay of their interests.
Tt is a long way retind, but Hitler' is obviously endeavouring to reach the Mediterranean through the Balkans. At first he tried to persuade Marsha) Petain to allow him to) proceed through unoccupied France. The Marshal was able to stand firmly against the pressure which was applied, and Hitler failed of his purposes. It was then suggested that perhaps he might go through Italy. He appears to have done that to some extent judging from the appearance of small German mechanized units in Libya, but not to any extent likely to have any profound bean upon! the Mediterranean situation. That is probably due to the fact that while he has} been able to establish large numbers of technicians in Italy, the general hatred felt by the Italian masses for their German allies such that any appearance in great numbers, might stir up such a resentment that the Germans might find themselves committed fo the task of taking over the country, per-hops by force of. arms. Hitler reach the gean Sea, and consequently the Mediterranean, through the Ballsans, but whether! that will do him much good remains to be seen. The ever lengthening of his lines! through countries openly, or covertly hostile! must inevitably pose new problems for solution, and the time will undoubtedly come when the limits of his ingenuity will have been reached. He is attempting what' Napoleon tried, completely without the military genius of the latter, and if Napoleon failed in the long run, what chances can his lath and plaster imitator have to do better? If Great Britain by his manceuvres is forced into war with Bulgaria it will be regretted, but Hitler's actions if pushed much further will give her no choice whatever, and it will be the Bulgarians who will be immediately called upon to meet the bill which Hitler will ultimately have to pay.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.