Evening star., 1938-09-11
Britain's Decision to Enter War
Hangs Largely on u. S. Aid
Unless She Could Get America to Patrol Pacific
Against Japan She Might Think
Contest Too Risky
By Constantine BrOwu.

might well become untenable for the
British and the French navies by the use
Of enemy airplanes and submarines Such
possibility has been seriously enHsaged
by naval strategists. Britain could carry on
war against Germany even If she lost
naval supremacy in the Mediterranean.
But tacticians consider victory impossible
II Britain loses control Of the Pacific and
the Indian Oceans. And If the British
naval forces are engaged in a struggle in
Europe. the empire cannot send an ade-
quate force to defend her eastern lines of
communication.
In the last war Japan was Britain's allv.
In the Mediterranean the weak Austrian
fleet was as troublesome to Great Britain
as fly to an elephant. Yet it took the
combined British, French, Italian-and to-
ward the last, American-fleets to effectu-
ate real blockade OF Germany. Today.
while the French navy Is in better shape
than it was in 1914 and the British fleet is
better by IS per cent there are 1000 900
tons OF Japanese ships and close to
300 900 tons of Italian men-of war. all efi.
.clent and more modern than the British
and French units, to oppose the fleets of
the European democracies.
1t is for this reason, as we'll known tn
Hitler and Mussolini as to the other gov.
ernments, that Premier Chamberlain and
company are looking for word or a signal
of encouragement from Washington.
Kingston Speech Cited.
And these have not been lacking. pres-
dent Roosevelts speeches in Canada We're
regarded in this country as just speeches.
But in France and in Britain the news
papers gave them four times as much
prominence and they were clearly inter.
preted to mean that America can hence
forth be considered a pillar Of the world
democracies. Here are a few samples OF
foreign commencement of it inspired:
President Roosevelt after having caused
the Canadian-American border to disap.
pear has also now suppressed the Atlantic
Ocean" President Roosevelt has extended
the benefits Of the famous Pan-American
Monroe Doctrine to the Dominion of Cam
ada. This is significant. Heretofore, the
British Dominion could not enjoy the ad-
vantages OF the Monroe Doctrine because
she was dependency of a European power.
The bridge over the st. Lawrence River
now extends as far as the Rhine"
The London newspapers, such as the con-
servative Daily Telegraph and the Daily
Herald, official journal Of the Labor party,
said Of the Kingston speech, "Henceforth
the situation will be changed and Mr..
Rooseyelt's statement can now be consid-
cred as becoming a part Of the history Of
the British Empire"
1t may be that the French and the
British governments take too much for
granted; it may be that they are endeavor-
ing purposely to misinform their people to
make them optimistic about the whole
situation. But it may also be that we in
the United States don't know as much as
the British and the French governments of
what is going on behind the scenes of the
diplomatic stage.
The question of Britain's intervention In
another European imbrogio depends largely
on how far Washington can 60 in assur-
ing London Of wholehearted American CO.
operation; in whether or not the admin
istration is convinced that our national
policy requires this country to pledge her.
self to become the policeman Of the Pacific
against Germany and Italy. Britain real
izes today with stark certainty that her
chances Of waging a successful war in Ell.
rope depend entirely on Americas Wiling
ness to cover her gateway to the empire
the Pacific Ocean.
Copyright. 1887