Peace

Monday, Aug. 18, 1941

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The world's greatest battle was in progress last week {see p. 17), but that did not keep recurrent German peace talk out of the air. This was no inconsistency. A negotiated peace might be Adolf Hitler's greatest victory.

From Ankara, New York Times Correspondent Ray Brock cabled that, on the day when Germany attacked Russia, Germany's wily Ambassador to Turkey Franz von Papen had proposed to the British Ambassador that Britain stop fighting and join Germany against the Soviet Union. Last week from Ankara came word that Herr von Papen and friends were still plugging peace hard, through U.S. and other middlemen.

It was said that after the attack on Russia had reached the Urals (and the Germans had captured Leningrad, Moscow, Kiev and other great Russian centers) the Nazis would be willing to dicker for peace on the following basis:

> Nazi forces would withdraw from western Europe. The bombing of Britain would stop.

> Germany would occupy Russia up to the Urals for 25 years, set up a "semi-autonomous" Ukraine.

> Poland, a Czech State, Yugoslavia and Greece would be "semi-autonomous."

> Rumania, Hungary and Bulgaria would be permanently "protected" by Germany.

> Alsace-Lorraine would be kept by Germany.

> Ethiopia, Libya and Tunisia would be given to Italy.

> The British Empire would be unchanged.

Last week, also, Fight for Freedom, Inc., U.S. immediate-intervention group, announced that underground German sources had sent it news of another forthcoming German peace campaign. Adolf Hitler would become "ill" and possibly "resign" —to make things easier for Winston Churchill, who has vowed not to negotiate with Nazi leaders. Then the German High Command would make proposals:

> All conquered countries would be "semi-autonomous." >-All continental Europe would disarm except for a "Pan-European Army" under German control.

> Germany would make "marked concessions" to Protestantism, but particularly to the Vatican.

> The British Empire would be unchanged, but would recognize German-Italian hegemony in the Mediterranean.

> Under Nazi control, British capital would be "encouraged" to develop Russia, the Near East, other potentially rich lands.

Neither of these sets of proposals stressed the fact that, on the record, no proposal, promise or pact of Adolf Hitler's has more meaning than jabberwocky.

Outside the Axis last week no important voice was raised in approval of any such plans—at least publicly. But several cogent voices talked of peace in quite a different vein. They thought that peace would have to be won by war, not by negotiation, and that, having been won, it would have to be handled with care.