The Hitler War—And A Greater Danger

WITH a deliberation doubtless calculated to impress both enemy and neutral opinion, the Allies are preparing for a long war; and they are building up new forces which probably will give them, on land and in the air, the superiority they now enjoy on the sea. Hitler’s peace overtures—which never were anything more than the unrepentant thief’s attempt to get away with the booty— have been rejected. The Allies have announced that they will fight on until “Hitlerism” is destroyed. Hitler is thought now to be preparing a terrific blow against the Allies—“to bring them to their senses”.

But this commentator, despite it all, offers the view that the “Hitler War” will not last much longer. True, Britain and France took up arms to destroy “Hitlerism”—in other words, to put an end to all this goosestepping, and musket-rattling, and maniacal raving, which have kept the world in a state of dither for several years. In the circumstances as they existed on September 3, it was sound strategy to plan a 3-years’ war—the Nazi regime will not be easily broken.

But circumstances have changed greatly since September 3. A danger greater than Hitlerism threatens Western civilisation. If only a formula can be found which will allow the Allies to draw the poison-fangs out of Nazi-ism, and limit the mischief-making propensities of its tub-

thumping leaders—and, surely, that can be accomplished by statesman ship!—there is no reason why British, French, Germans, Italians and Jap anese should not stand in line together to stop the westwards and eastwards march of Russia. In fact, something like that must happen, soon, if Western Europe is not to be engulfed in a wave of Communism, bloodshed and ruthlessness indescrib able. The things which separate the five great Powers now are vastly less in character and volume than the frightful danger which now unites them.

WHEN the Nazis, bungling amateurs in diplomacy, tried to outwit the British and French by entering into the Russo-German Pact, many people declared that Hitler had des troyed himself. Events of the past month show that that was an under statement: Hitler may have destroyed Germany. It is impossible to mis interpret recent developments.

When Germany entered the Pact, she expected to have the goodwill of Russia in carving up Poland, while the material resources of Russia were to be made available to her in the event of Britain and France going to war and attempting a blockade. That, she argued, was more valuable than the maintenance of the Axis with Italy and Japan.

And, now, what has happened? Italy

and Japan are alienated, and, every day, are drawing nearer to Britain and France. Germany has conquered the Poles; but Russia has marched in and seized half of Poland. While the Germans stand, immobile, impotent and friendless, on the Warsaw line, the Russians are taking control of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and are threatening Finland. They hold south-east Poland, right across to the Hungarian frontier, so that it is now impossible for the Germans to march on towards the Balkans and the Black Sea. Germany brought Russia into the picture, as part of a Puckish plan for annoying the Allies; and now Russia has taken charge of the situa tion. Already, Russia is releasing her Bolshevik poison among the German masses, so that the security of Ger many now is menaced by Russia in a manner never imagined by Hitler in his worst “Mein Kampf” nightmare.

The general war situation is set out in the attached news-review. Our readers will see that it has developed precisely as we forecast it, in Sep tember. Poland is wiped out; the Allies are standing to arms on the Western front, while their control of the sea allows them to put economic pressure on Germany; and the Nazi leaders are carrying out intensive propaganda in favour of a peace con ference. Normally, we could expect, next, a very powerful attack by Ger many upon the Allies. But there has entered into the situation, in the form of Soviet Russia, an element far more sinister, and disturbing, and

dangerous than even the Nazi regime.

The Bolsheviks, powerfully equipped, with many millions of men, are ad vancing upon Central Europe—all along the 2,000-miles line, from Finland, in the far north, right down through the Baltic region and Poland, to the Roumanian-Bessarabian fron tier —and upon Iran and Afghanistan.

The Western nations, deeply pre occupied with their task of smashing Hitlerism and again making the world safe for democracy, do not yet see clearly what is happening. But Italy sees it, and is desperately uneasy, and already there are signs that a shudder of fear is running through the ranks of middle-class Germany. They must realise that the monomaniac Hitler, playing at being Frederick the Great and Napoleon, has released a Frank enstein monster that already is reach ing out to devour Germany.

This is no place to discuss the horror that is represented by Soviet “Government”. Sufficient to say that, to Western peoples, it is a horror in conceivable a thing that could develop only in the dirt and ignor ance of illiterate Russia.

Satan, wishing to debase humanity, Crossed Lust with Greed, and Hate with Vanity, Mated their offspring and thus brought to birth The Bolshie-Communist, the foulest breed on earth.

As they entered Poland, in Septem ber, the Russians removed the criminals from the gaols; gave to the lowest classes positions of authority; threw the merchants and the land owners into the gaols, or murdered them; and divided their lands and goods among the peasants. Train loads of Polish officials, merchants, landowners, military officials, etc., have been sent away into Siberia.

Even as this is written, the cable grams say that the Soviet commissars are taking charge of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and their armies are knocking at the frontiers of Finland.

The deliberate, cold-blooded purpose of the Soviet, frequently announced, is to destroy the Empires of Britain and France; and how better could they do it than by the “Bolshevisation” of Germany?

OF course, there still is the possi bility that Germany and Russia propose to co-operate in the destruc tion of the Allies. Many commen tators believe that such a plan actually exists. If it could be put into operation, the Hitler War would take on a new and more terrible aspect. We should have to meet the Russians on three or four Asiatic fronts, while our forces were engaged in the major struggle against Ger many. Against that, we could set the certainty that Japan, and perhaps Italy, would join the Allies.

But an alliance between Germany and Russia, for the purpose of a great war, is unnatural and inconceivable.

It may be planned by Hitler and Stalin, and it might even begin to function; but it never would be ac

cepted by the mass of the German people.

Much will depend upon diplomatic exchanges in Europe during the com ing month.