De Gids. Jaargang 103

[p. 330]

Aanteekeningen en opmerkingen

Welkome correctie

Wij ontvingen, naar aanleiding van de Buitenlandsche Kroniek in het October-nummer, van den redacteur van het Britsche tijdschrift ‘The Round Table’ een schrijven van den navolgenden inhoud:

‘THE ROUND TABLE’,

Rhodes House, Oxford.

24th October, 1939.

The Editor, De Gids

Dear Sir,

In an interesting article in the October number of your distinguished journal, Professor Telders quotes the following passage from an article, written in August and published in the September number of the ‘Round Table’, dealing with the neutrality of Holland, Belgium and Switzerland:

Belgium's decision to become neutral will not absolve us from the necessity of going to her rescue if her neutrality is infringed; but it does prevent us from taking steps in advance to reduce the danger of such infringement or to resist it if it occurs. Holland and Switzerland present a similar problem. Their policy of neutrality is very natural from their own point of view, since they must obviously desire to keep themselves out of any quarrel between their more powerful neighbours if they possibly can. But in their case, as in that of Belgium, their neutrality is in some ways a definite handicap to the two western democracies, upon whom, in the last analysis, the maintenance of their independence rests.

Professor Telders comments on this passage:

Men bespeurt de (nog) onuitgesproken conclusie, die in deze woorden verscholen ligt: omdat de onafhankelijkheid van België, Zwitserland, Nederland uiteindelijk op Engeland en Frankrijk steunt, hebben de twee ‘Westersche Democratieën’ straks het recht, de genoemde staten tot ‘kleurbekennen’ te nopen.

[p. 331]

I feel obliged tot point out that no such ‘unexpressed conclusion’ should be inferred from the passage. It is one thing to state that a certain situation constitutes a definite strategic handicap. It is quite another thing to claim a ‘right’ to remove it. The latter was Herr Hitler's doctrine with regard tot Czecho-Slovakia. I should like tot say with all the force at my command that neither the writer of the article nor any responsible Englishman would dream of applying that doctrine tot Belgium, Holland or Switzerland.

May I add a word of appreciation of the generous terms in wich Professor Telders alluded tot the ‘Round Table’?

Yours sincerely,

R. Coupland

Acting Editor, ‘Round Table’.

Aan het verzoek tot plaatsing voldoen wij gaarne, want niets kan ons aangenamer zijn dan te kunnen constateeren, dat wij uit de woorden ‘the two western democracies, upon whom, in the last analysis, the maintenance of (Holland's) independence rests’ eene onjuiste conclusie hebben getrokken. Zoo ooit, dan is men hier verheugd zich te hebben vergist!

B.M.T.