The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1938-05-16

be squeezed IN.
For one, there is Secretary
HOneSt H0TOL1 of the Interior Harold L. Ickes'
And the HeLiuu refusal, in his capacity
member of the Munitions Con-
troll Board to consent to sale of helium to Germany
for in its dirigbles. Chief of Staff Malin Craig
and Chief Of Naval Operations William D. Leahy say
that such sales would in way be military
to the United States and the Senate has O. KID such
sales, but Honest Harold says soap just the
We believe heum sales to Germany would be of
substantial benefit to the United States. They would
bring in money now. If by chance should
get into with Germany, the Germans would
ceivably break their promise to the helium for
peace purposes only, and might send some war Yep
pelins here Zeppelns proved repeatedly
in the World War, far easily and cheaply
sunk than fighting ships. Germany would have
put lot of money in Zeppeins, and our fighting
planes would pop the Zeppelins out of the sky, and
the gain would be all ours
Then there is Poland-as there usually is when
things are exploding in Europe. Poland, queried by
the French as to what it would do if Hitler should at
tack Czechoslovakia, prefers not to
Poland; NIT itself. Poland might fight Hitler if
u1; Russia also came to the Czechs' defense.
On the other hand Geneva reports that
If Russia tried to butt in both Hungary and Poland
would mobilize to the east" against Russia.
This Polish coyness does nothing to tensions
in Europe, though Poland may get something out of
1t; concessions to the big Polish minority in Czecho-
glovakia perhaps.
In London last Thursday, to everybody's professed
surprise, there suddenly appeared by airplane the
leader Of the aggressive Sudeten German minority in
CZechoSIovakia Konrad Henlein Mr. il
ported to have failed to persuade the British to agree
that Czechosovakia ought to drop its friendship for
Russia-which failure, in view of Neville Chamber
lains recent hints that he didn't what Germany
might do to the Czechs, makes the Central European
situation puzzling than
On the Asiatic side of the world Japan continues
to find the going tough by land and easy by sea.
While the japanese army has been straning itself to
close the Lungha Railroad gap in
Japan Has Southern Shantung and take the
pou,. ct,,n;1 strategic city of Suchow, the Japa-
navy has knocked off another
Chinese seaport-Amoy, down toward HOngkong.
Which suggests the thought that Japan
has been stupid throughout this undeclared A
formal declaration of would have given Japan,
under international law, right to blockade the China
coast. Such blockade might in time have choked
China into submitting to all or most Of Japan's de-
mands. without land fighting.
But the Japanese army and navy are jealous of
each other, and often work at purposes. Now,
the Chinese are getting a good deal of war material
from Germany, in spite of Hters antiRed pact with
Japan, and have more than few German and Rus
sian officers. China is good proving ground for
German and Russian inventions and improve
ments All in all, China's chances look better than
they did when japan last July started what it expected
to be three-month affair.
On our side of the world, have the recent news
of the unsuccessful Fascist rebellion in Brazil and
of Mexican President Cardenas sudden breaking off
of diplomatic relations with
1hFeGtS TO the Britain.
ux n.. Arms of German make
found of the captured
Brazilian Fascsts, Cardenas acts and like
. Communist.
There seems to be longer any doubt that foreign
isms Of all colors planning to gain footholds in
the Western Hemisphere.
Yet President Roosevelt has assured the world that