GERMANY: Hitler Has Other Means

Article 42 & Article 43. Adolf Hitler, with his intuitive flair for what is and is not vital, anticipated last week’s outbreak of war when he said at the recent Nazi Party Congress, “We will remain neutral with respect to developments which do not concern Germany directly, and our wish is not to become involved in such developments.” (TIME, Sept. 23.)

This was parroted by German officials high & low last week while the Realmleader kept mum. Every wiseacre in Europe was saying that win, lose or draw for Italy, the Ethiopian war must prove a victory for Germany. If II Duce is permitted or succeeds anyhow in snatching colonial territory, Der Führer after that can scarcely be halted eventually in his announced purpose of “redeeming” the onetime Imperial German overseas colonies now held by other Great Powers. If on the other hand, Dictator Mussolini is balked by the League of Nations, the Italian attitude toward France is sure to change from friendship to fury, thereby weakening France which would have to send back to her Italian frontier the troops she withdrew and sent to guard her German frontier after the Laval-Mussolini accord in Rome (TIME, Jan. 14). Simultaneously Italy, which has been the chief bulwark against absorption of Austria by Germany would agree to that Anschluss, and Adolf Hitler might then make his first territorial gain not in some remote colonial sphere but in Europe.

With the cards thus stacked in his favor last week, the Realmleader did nothing more provocative than continue to violate Articles 42 & 43 of Part III of the Treaty of Versailles by fortifying the German Rhine frontier with subterranean steel & concrete forts now being installed in the guise of “drainage systems” by German Army engineers and troops in civilian working clothes.