European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 13, 1948, Darmstadt, Hesse                                My fight for democracy by Eduard Benes a founder of the czechoslovak Republic arid its i president for Over ten years begins the Story of his struggles to maintain his country s Independence after the treaty of Versailles was signed and Germany had begun to recover from its 1918 defeat that is by 1921-22 a tremendously exciting drama began in Europe the fight to revise the Versailles peace. It was one of the greatest and most dramatic struggles in the political history of the continent. It ended with a new and devastating tragedy the second world War. The fight began with reparations. It opened soon after the exact figures of German payments were determined in May 1922, and produced an initial German Victory the liquidation of All preparations debts  Lausanne conference of july 2, 1932. Next came the disarmament clauses of Versailles. This fight began in Geneva after the final protocol on the Locarno treaties was signed october 16, 1925 and it was decided to Call a general \ disarmament conference. It ended october 14, 1933, again in ? Geneva when Germany walked out f the disarmament conference. Finally came the revision of territorial clauses of Versailles. This started in 1932-33 with Mussolini s proposal for a four Power pact and the abyssinian War. It continued with Hitler s annexation of Austria and the Munich pact and culminated in the h second world War. A the goal of this whole fight to revise the peace treaties was to bring about a Complete change in the european situation. The ver Sailles treaty gave predominance in Europe to England arid France together with their friends and lesser allies. Revision of the peace treaties sought to destroy this situation and shift the balance to the other Side. Whatever we May think of this  change the peace treaties it was in a certain sense a perfectly Normal phenomenon after every War the Defeated she tries to Rise again and undo defeat either by diplomatic and political combat or by a new War. That has been the Law of history and International politics and it will again apply after the second world War. The reaction was even More to be expected with a people like the germans who never troubled to conceal it although official German policy was curtained behind frequent declarations about peace and Germany s desire to cooperate with its former enemies. To anyone who had closely and constantly observed Germany front the year 1920 on  have been Clear that a Long period of conflict Over the peace treaty was coming and that its outcome would be either a gradual reconciliation and finally cooperation Between the Camps of victors and vanquished or a new great War. In Czechoslovakia we never doubted this and had no illusions about it our foreign policy Between the two world wars was fully consistent with this View. On the one hand we supported never ending labors for peace and cooperation with our opponents. On the other hand we worked to build up guarantees of collective Security and to strengthen the league of nations. At the same time we were preparing our defences for eventual conflict. This was the sense of our policy at Geneva and Locarno the sense of our policy of granting certain concessions on reparations on disarmament on economic collaboration. It was the basis of our moderate policy toward democratic Germany. We never sex eluded and never could exclude the possibility of Good neighbor ship with a truly democratic peace Loving Germany should such a Germany exist. Nevertheless we were aware of the second possibility that the policy of moderation might not succeed. We realized that As Long As a reactionary Germany and its friends Felt weak they would favor apparent cooperation. But we knew there would come a moment when there would be an end to concessions a moment when the victorious Side must state unequivocally what was or was not to be permitted. We knew that if the germans judged this moment to be Ripe and Felt themselves sufficiently Strong then the fight would be renewed with new methods the methods of threats of Force and finally of War. It was no longer possible to a doubt this development from the moment the nazi dictatorship i Gin Germany joined the fascist dictatorship in Italy. 1 today after the second world War we must be on our guard. This whole sequence of events revamped to fit new situations will repeat itself again. I saw quite clearly what was happening in Europe. I saw the inevitability of the moment when both Camps would either join saturday. March 13. 1948\ continued on next Page