Evening star., 1939-03-19

proven this-the timing of that policy
is most flexible.
Because of the present military weak
ness OF Britain and France it appears to
the leaders of the totalitarian states that
settlement now of the vitally important
colonial problem be more advantageous
and probably less strenuous.
From this strategic point of view the
Axis has definite advantage over the
two great empires. The lines of COM
munlcations between the colonial pos
sessions OF France and Great Britain
through the Mediterranean can be cut
easily today. Italy controls the Suez
Canal from the Dodecanese Islands
naval air bases, the middle Mediter-
ranean from Pantelleria and Sicily and
the communications between North
Africa and France from the Balearic
Islands and the bases at Ceuta in Spain
and Mellila in Spanish Morocco. The
German naval bases in the Spanish ports
Of the Atlantic and the Canary Islands
will prove serious handicap to Franco
British communications from the
Southern Atlantic.
Japan Has Dominating Position.
Japan has dominating position in
the Pacific. 1t has an army of close to
100000 men at home ready to be ship
ped, at short notice, to any point It
has navy hankering to show its mettle.
The French, British and American naval
forces in the East represent less than
one-tenth of the fighting value of the
Japanese.
While the British and the French,
thanks to their recent efforts, could
withstand a German Italian onslaught
with fair chance of successful re-
sistance, their colonies would be as
much at the mercy of the totalitarian
states as were those of Germany during
the World War. The Italians have in
North Africa and in Ethiopia about
10000 men without counting the natives
who could eventually be used against
the French and the British native troops.
The Italian air force now in Ethiopia and
planes against about half that number
belonging to Britain and France. The
producing capacity of the totaitarian
states will be, at least in the first six
months of a conflict, so per cent higher
than that of the British and the French,
in the event the American neutrality law
makes it impossible for these countries
to purchase airplanes and other war
material in the United States.
These are the facts that lead the ad-
ministration in Washington to believe
that Italy will lodge her demands for a
colonial readjustment from France in the
next few weeks. This note, which is
said to have already been drafted by
Mussolini himself, will open up the
whole question of colonial possessions.
But before it is delivered more troops are
being sent to Libya: German technicians
and German tanks are being shipped
from Italy to the various ports of North
Africa. German submarines have ar
rived during the last three weeks at
Spezia, while the number of highly mo-
torized German divisions between Viii
ZACH and Klagenfurt- rt-close to the italian
border-have been increased from three
to seven. These divisions are ready to
join the Italians either in Italy, should
the French decide to make demonstra-
ton on Italian soil, or in Africa should
their presence be required there.
Colonial Army Being Formed.
The German government is so certain
that the colonial question will come up
for discussion in the next few weeks
that it has already started forming a
colonial army. There is new column
in the military service books of German
recruits. In this column the recruiting
officer writes in red ink: Facing fuer
den Kolonialdienst" ("Good for colo
nial serviceD in case the young man
seems to have the constitutional strength
to stand overseas SERVICE. Factories in
Bavaria, where brown shirts and Nazi
military uniforms are being manufac-
tured, are now making tens of thousands
of uniforms for the tropics. Some of
the merchant ships are being changed
for transport of troops to tropical waters,
and officers of the old Marine Infantry,
formerly Germanys colonial force, are
being detached from their present units
and sent to instruction camps to drill
the future colonials for their new task.
Russia can sleep in peace and continue
her internal purging policies, say high
officials in Washington. The French and
the British will have to stand first the
brunt Of the demands of the land-hungry
Axis.
(Copyrsht 1Q3Q)