1 SEPTEMBER 1939, Page 16

How fatal, even to his own plans and purposes, must

be such violent inconsistency! Herr Hitler may well have been sincere in stating that he did not desire war with France or Great Britain but wished only to deal with his Polish victim by himself. Had he not, on March 15th, destroyed all international confidence he might well have obtained all his reasonable objectives by diplomatic negotiations. By destroying the very basis of negotiation he rendered a peaceable solution impossible. It is foolish to describe as " brilliant diplomacy " the destruction of the credit-system upon which diplomacy can alone function.