Three Pacts for Peace

INTERNATIONAL

Three Pacts for Peace

First Premier Combos of Hungary called at the Palazzo Venezia in Rome. Then Chancellor Dollfuss of Austria called at the Palazzo Venezia. Finally Chancellor and Premier both called together at the Palazzo Venezia on the man who has been pulling the strings in their respective countries--Benito Mussolini. Last week's conferences did not take long, for the choices open to the three men were limited. At the final one Messrs. Dollfuss and Combos found lying on a table in II Duce's office gold embossed documents and a gold pen. Together they signed: The head of the Government of His Majesty the King of Italy, the Federal Chancellor of the Austrian Republic, and the President of the Royal Council of Hungary, animated by the desire to contribute to the maintenance of peace and the economic restoration of Europe on the basis of respect for the independence and rights of every state . . . bind themselves for the attainment of the aforesaid ends to agree among themselves on all problems which particularly interest them. . . . For this purpose the three Governments will proceed to common consultation whenever any one of them considers it advisable. Pact No. 2 contained an agreement to draw up bilateral treaties not later than May 15 to provide 1) increased facilities for reciprocal exports; 2) absorption of additional quantities of Hungarian wheat; 3) development of traffic at the Adriatic ports of Trieste and Fiume, already promised as free ports to Austrian and Hungarian shippers. "The three governments will create a permanent commission of three experts to watch and develop the economic relations among the three countries and formulate concrete proposals in order to intensify them as far as possible in the spirit of the present protocol." These papers signed, Engelbert Dollfuss proceeded to sign Pact No. 3 with II Duce to hasten special customs agreements between Austria and Italy. They stipulated that "preferential treatment will be granted to the largest number of products manufactured in Austria and imported by Italy." Then Combos and Dollfuss went home, smiling broadly. "I am returning to Vienna very well satisfied with what has been accomplished," said the diminutive Austrian Chancellor. "The agreements are not directed against Germany, the Little Entente or anyone else in any respect, but envisage their collaboration." Europe received news of all this in a state of dead calm. The treaties promised nothing that had not been anticipated long ago. The real effect of the meeting of the three Premiers in Rome occurred three weeks ago when Mussolini, first announcing this conference, served notice on Germany that Italy would brook no further interference with Austrian affairs--or with Hungarian affairs for that matter. Basically, Austria's troubles are economic and will not end until she can support herself. She cannot support herself until she has a market for her manufactures. This means that Austrian products must gain comparatively free access to the different countries that originally formed the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Every previous attempt to create a commercial Danubian federation has split between those countries subservient to Italy (Austria, Hungary, Albania) and those subservient to France (Czechoslovakia, Rumania, Jugoslavia). France felt differently last week when she recognized the Italo-Austro-Hungarian pacts as the most effective move yet made to oppose the spread of Hitlerism.

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