It is little short of pathetic to note how every time Hitler succeeds in dragooning some small country into joining the Tripartite Alliance the Axis Powers welcome it as a great diplomatic triumph over Great Britain and her Allies, What is actually is that Hitler is endeavouring the attempt he made United States fait accompli of a united Europe alleged be supporting that quaint invention of his called a new order in Europe. He failed to push his diplomatic offensive to that conclu-in the autumn of last year, and what now doing is to finish work which he to have completed before the end of October. There is just as much justification for the belief that Bulgaria was forced to join the Pact under threats of violence, as was in the case of Rumania, and to speak of either of these countries having entered into the unholy alliance, which Hitler has dictated, of their own free will is to twist from their normal meanings.
Bu adherence to the Tripartite Alliance has no practical importance whatever. la's signature to that document is no more than official recognition of a fact that has been fully realized, and appreciated for what it is worth for a considerable time past, and what has happened is that the pro-German politicians of the country have sold their pro-Slay compatriots into the usual Nazi slavery. There appears to be some doubt as to whether German troops have actually entered the country, chiefly owing to lack of official confirmation, but if they have not done so already, they may be expected to do so very shortly. It was for that reason that the alliance was signed. Penetration which has been pro for some months past, will. it is confidently expected, lead soon, to German occupation of the whole of the country, and the application of German pressure upon Greece to make peace with Italy, the only means by which Hitler can extricate his accomplice Mussolini from the mess he has (got into in Albania:
Hitler's plan is plain for all men to see. With Bulgaria fully. occupied he will doubtless seize upon the fabricated story, that Brit-tain has landed, or is about to land at Salonika, for the purpose of threatening Greece with invasion. The technique will, of course, require the production of documents revealing the alleged British plan, and they doubtlessly will be conveniently discovered in one or other of the capitals which Germany already occupies, for after all what is a spot of for-gory to men who have already committed practically every conceivable crime against humanity? Against this perfectly meretricious triumph on the part of Hitler there is to be offset the mutual declaration of complete agreement between Great Britain and Turkey contained in a communique issued at Ankara as a result of conversations between Mr. Anthony Eden, British Foreign Secretary, President Ineunu, and high Turkish Government officials. That agreement naturally envisaged whatever changes there might be in the Balkan situation as a result of the swallowing of Bulgaria by the Axis.
In this connection it needs to be remembered that at no time did Great Britain have any hopes that either Rumania, or Bulgaria would join her as Allies. At the most she hoped that they would endeavour to hang on to the precarious neutrality, which their governments had declared for so frequently since the outbreak of hostilities, and apparently all that Britain has failed to do is to keep them out of this war. That is to be regretted for the sake of the Rumanian, and Bulgarian peoples, who must inevitably suffer once it is established that they are in fact subjected to enemy occupation of their territory, and being used as bases for the purpose of attacking Great Britain. But, things having now gone as far as they have, the time may not be far distant when they may be subjected to hostile action on the part of the British forces. That their peoples will suffer is regrettable but unavoidable, for Great Britain has the undoubted right to attack her enemy wherever she may find him. For the rest the Bulgarian Government will be in precisely the same uncomfortable position as that of Rumania, endeavouring to carry on with some shadow of authority in lands completely under the military domination of an outside Power. They will not like it, and the only consolation is that if has been forced upon them by the threats of a powerful nation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.