NON-STOP DIPLOMACY
OF the series of conferences which Herr Hitler and Herr von Ribbentrop are staging almost daily neither the full reasons nor the full results are yet disclosed. One reason no doubt is plain enough. It has been aptly expressed by an American commentator, who concludes from the various reports reaching the United States that "Hider and Mussolini are desperately trying to cook up something which will restore the waning morale of their followers." There is no doubt about the truth of that, and the conferences with Sefior Sufier, Count Teleki, King Boris and others are all designed to create impressions as well as, if possible, to produce results. One result has, in fact, been achieved. Hungary has joined the Axis. A glance at the map of Europe is enough to put that event in its right perspective. Situated as she is, Hungary has only one course open to her, to do what Herr Hitler instructs her to do. He has now given her instructions and she has duly complied. The signature of a document, of characteristic Nazi authorship, makes no practical change at all in the military or political situation.
Yet Herr Hitler has considerable need of certain practical changes in the military situation. Signor Mussolini has put him in a difficult position—and put himself in a much worse one. It is a question which would be more humiliating for Italy, to have to call in German assistance to enable her to crush a nation a quarter her size or to be overtaken by winter with that small but valiant nation undefeated. It is possible, of course, that Italy may win by her own endeavours ; that depends largely on the ,amount of support we are able to give to Greece and the speed with which we giv.e-it ; but even if Italy broke through to Salonika tomorrow her prestige would not recover from the blow Greece has dealt it. This fits in ill with Herr Hitler's hardly concealed design, to proclaim the creation of a New Order in Europe, following up the announce- ment probably enough by an offer of general peace on the basis thus created. The new order must secure wide adhesion. Free and independent States like France and Holland and Belgium and Denmark and Norway must embrace it with spon- taneous enthusiasm. Means must be found of bringing in Rumania—have been, indeed, already—and Bulgaria and Yugo- slavia, and, of course, Spain. Russia must be, at any rate, benevolently neutral. A recalcitrant Britain, instigated by a recalcitrant America, must suffer the consequences her malignancy invites.
That, there is little doubt, is the Hitler-Ribbentrop plan. Small nations can, no doubt, be intimidated into acceptance of it. Their acquiescence, so secured, matters little. The one development that would have to be viewed seriously would be a durable understanding between Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain and Japan, such as Nazi propagandists foreshadow as the result of a conference to be held shortly at Vienna. Secret understandings between some of those States may exist already. The haste with which Hungary's adhesion to the Axis has been announced may lend some significance to the absence of any such announcement respecting Russia or Spain, in spite of the suasion applied to M. Molotoff and Sefior Sufier respectively. But it would be highly rash to assume that. German diplomacy knows the value of secrecy as well as of riclame, and Hitler has certainly not renounced the idea of a drive through Spain to Gibraltar. But so far the window- dressing element seems to bulk largest in the recent garrulity.
