Evening star., 1939-02-03
Washington Observations
RooseveIts Pledge Of Economic Aid to Democroces
Seen Preventing War for Visible Future

land, instead of being driven to
cover, never again to emerge on
the high seas, after the gallant bat
tie it gave Jellicoe and Beatty, Ger
many would have had command Of
the Atlantic and of the Pacific, too.
I do not suggest that William II,
Won Tirpitz and Won Hindenburgh
could have imposed German sub
lection upon us at will, but our
ability to resist the master Of Eu-
rope would have been strained to
a degree that would have made our
World War effort puny by compare
son. The probability Is that, in
expiation of our neutral completely
in the allies campaign, the Germans
would have insisted on abrogation
of the Monroe Doctrine. Their
longings for a foothold in Central
or South America antedate the Hit
Ter regime by more than a genera
ton. The United States was the
inspiration for hymn Of hate in
Germany long before we went to
war with her in 1917.
X X Il 4
Opinions differ, not only in Wash
ington but in other world capitals,
as to the tone" of Hitler's harangue
to his marionette Reichstag on jan
uary 80. Many authorities, to my
own amazement, found it "concilia-
tory" utterance. In considering the
speech provocative and truculent in
the highest degree I am undoubt-
edly in minority. Yet I do not
think it reasonably possible to mini
mize the gravity of the Fuehrer's
threat to pursue his own policies
in the Western Hemisphere-politi-
cal, economic and "cultural-with-
out American interference" II
there is anybody in the United
States who doubts the Reich's pur-
poseful plans in South America, let
him consult some Of our people re-
Gently at Lima. They can a tale
unfold which will convince the most
skeptical doubling Thomas that
Uncle Sam faces the fight Of his life
to hold his own in Latin America
against Fascist penetration.
Let no American run away with
the idea that because we hold no
former German colonies either as
soWners or mandatories the United
States is disinterested in Hitler's
proposed "repartition Of the riches
of the world" among the nations
"in proportion to their numbers,
their courage and their worth" The
Nazis are not concerned with Afgi-
can deserts or jungles inhabited by
savage tribes of backward natives.
They banker for territories In which
"the worlds riches" and export
markets are to be found. They
covet the Ukraine in Europe. They
crave to get at the vast undevel-
oped and unexplored natural wealth
of Latin America. They need bases
for oversee operations for the
mighty air fleet they already pos
sess and the powerful navy they
are constructing. If Spain or Portu-
gal, under Hitler's "repartition"
program, could be bribed or brow
beaten with or without the con-
nivance of the British and French
Empires to part with such pearls
as the Canary Islands, the Azores,
the Cape Verdes or Portuguese West
Africa, then Germany and Italy
(for henceforth those two powers
must be bracketed when the re-
uuirements of the "have-not" peo-
ple are discussed would have ideal
jumping-o1 places for air or naval
operations in the WeNern world
They would be nearer to Brazil than
we are.
To get back to what Roosevelt's
pledge of economic support to the
democracies means to the dictator