The Bookshelf

FROM the pen of an outstanding authority on Central European problems comes a penetrating analysis of the changes wrought in the continental balance of power by the Munich settlement. Mr. Hutton does not concern himself with the tangled threads of international diplomacy which led up to last September's conference. Instead he tries to point out exactly what the decisions arrived at may mean for the future of a war-jittery world.

In a concise but comprehensive survey the author shows the all-pervasive drive of the German Auschiuss on the myriad peoples of Eastern Europe and the Balkan peninsula. The Rome-Berlin axis, by its recent conquests, forms a solid bulwark across the center of the continent. France and Britain are isolated. But the Fascist powers have not the necessary resources to carry on a lengthy European conflict. If Germany and Italy are to challenge the world, they must establish a firm hegemony over the entire area lying between the Third Reich and Russia. The chances of the creation of such a totalitarian dominion, Mr. Hutton evaluates in bold, logical fashion.

However, his analysis tends to overemphasize the importance of strategic and economic factors. While Germany may be geographically located in such a position as to enable her to dominate the markets of her weaker neighbors, this does not mean that these countries will docilely submit to orders from Berlin. The dynamic force of nationalism must not be overlooked. Peoples like the Poles and Slavs can be counted upon to fight to the last man for their independent status. Even if once conquered, such subjects would be extremely dubious allies in event of another world conflagration.

Another weakness of the book is the author's propensity to minimize or to ignore completely the possibility of friction arising in other European danger spots. Tunis comes in but for passing mention. General Franco is assumed to be already a pawn in the hands of Fascist dictators.

On the other hand, Mr. Hutton's keen perception of what will happen once war starts marks his work as a highly plausible piece of political prophecy. More than this, the keen appreciation of the highly unstable situation created in Central Europe by a power-crazed Fanatic makes Survey after Munich interesting and thought-provoking reading for anyone interested in the preservation of world peace.