The Charlotte News

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 1939

EDITORIAL

CAT AND MOUSE

Hungary Has No Choice But Mr. Hitler's Co-operation

Site Editor's Note: Hungary would join with the Axis in 1941 and fight alongside Hitler in the invasion of Russia on June 22.

Hungary and Germany see completely eye to eye as regards their conception of co-operation politically.

Thus Dienst aus Deutschland, one of Hitler's kept newspapers, with regard to the visit of Count Csaky to the German dictator at Obersalzberg. And "co-operation politically" here obviously means military co-operation as well. For the things under discussion at the meeting were not only the final Nazification of Hungary, but also the right of Germany to occupy the Carpatho-Ukraine in case of war, as well as a Hungarian attack on Rumania.

Hungry in this case, however, is merely the mouse under the cat's paw. Like Poland, she rushed into trouble by greedily helping to carve up Czechoslovakia. Moreover, she undoubtedly wants German backing for an attack on Rumania to the end of recovering her lost Transylvanian territories. But lately she has been showing signs of wanting to edge away from any too-tight alliance with Mr. Hitler, on the very good ground that she fears that it will not be long until she is completely swallowed up into the Reich. And the visit to Obersalzberg yesterday probably means simply that Mr. Hitler is advising her sternly that she must do as he says--or else.

There is one cheerful aspect about all this. If Mr. Hitler makes a war, he is going to make it with allies and slaves who hate or fear him as much or more than his formal enemies. If he wins quickly, the poor Czechs, for instance, will have nothing to do but accept it. And the Hungarians, too, will have to put the best face on it and pretend to be delighted. But if the war goes on for awhile and he begins to bog down, then they are likely to turn on him and take to sabotage from within.


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