Nazis and the League

With the Saar plebiscite over, it seems that the question of inviting Nazi Germany to join the League of Nations is again coming to the forefront.

Latest reports from England indicate that Sir John Simon, British Minister for Foreign Affairs, is inclined to make all sorts of concessions to Hitler in order to have Germany back in the League. The concessions go even so far as agreeing to recognize equality of armaments for the Reich.

The question of re-arming Germany has been the most disputed one for the last five years. According to the Versailles treaty, Germany’s army must be limited to 100,000 soldiers. The demand voiced by the Hitler government for restoring Germany’s army to pre-war proportions has been rejected more than once by the League of Nations.

The re-arming of Germany has always been considered a menace to the peace of the world, since it is known that the ambitions of the Third Reich are far-reaching and may involve Europe in a new war. By limiting the German army, the League was in a position to check the military ambitions of the Nazis and to prevent Germany’s invasion of Austria and other neighboring countries.

Now Sir John Simon seems to be determined to get Germany into the League even at the price of increasing the military forces of the Nazis.

From the standpoint of Jewish interests, Germany’s reentrance into the League of Nations may be viewed with approval. It may prove beneficial for German Jewry. It is true that Germany has no international minority obligations except for Upper Silesia. It may, however, be expected that if Germany re-enters the League, stronger moral pressure might be exercised upon the Nazi government, through the Nazi delegation in Geneva, with regard to the Jewish question in Germany.

The isolation of Germany, while weakening the Nazi position, means at the same time the isolation of German Jewry. The situation of the Jews in Germany can certainly not become worse if Germany re-enters the League. On the contrary, it may improve.