Evening star., 1939-04-30

courageous statesman who the underlying
quences OF German rearmament and the axis
who realized that ndefensble salient
which could only have been saved after long world war
and who drove through nothing
else for to do There the group which
thinks that fundamentally Hitler were afraid
OF war; that firm stand by Britain would have
called the bluff restored the prestige the denocraces and
been most damaging blow to the anticominen axis
third group thinks that struggle with Fascist otatarans
is inevitable and that Mr. Chamberlain would done
better to have accepted the challenge last September
to have postponed it at the price concedng control
Central Europe to Naz Germany The view
is being far actively propagandzed in the United
than the first.
But opinion about Munich" is fading into the
indifference which always surrounds facts which
be changed. The important thing deductions which
American opinion is beginning to draw from those facts
Britain OFF the Pedestal"
There doubt that Great Britain has fallen off ha
PEDESTAL This partly did not instantly raly
to the support of and democracy
In the of Belgium in 1914 but rather made the
pay the price OF peace and partly because the
Munich following the other last eight wears
have revealed to every thinking American the changed
ton of Britain in the world today compared with
Consciously subconsciousy Americans everywhere
begun to realize they have done before
to which American security and freedom international
preoccupaon and the integrity of the Monroe Doctrine
depended in the past the British Navy And consciously
subconscouy they realizing that that security
what it was
long as the British Navy was paramount on the seas
and the policy of the British government support the
Monroe Doctrine originally proposed by Canning British
Navy acted in effect the United
States and the Western Hemisphere Today navy
itself is probably strong and efficient
strategic position of Britain in the world for the time being
at any rate has deeply changed.
During nineteenth Great Britain profng by
her experience in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
and during the Napoeonic wars unique system
not only for the defense of her possessions but for
abzing the world So long she could keep the British
Isles nvulnerabe base through the maintenance
superior and nvncib navy possessing naval bases all
the world not the British Empire attack
from Europe but there could practice be world
unless rival power built navy which could
lenge the British Navy There local wars but there
world 1t is world which alone threatens
civilization From this system not only did Great Britain
immense economic advantages but she became steadily
liberal and democratic herself because security the
condition of liberal advance.
Growth of Independence.
The overseas world reaped advantages less great
United States develop along
for century without serious international complication
heavy burden of armaments The dominons gradually
became selfgovrnng their population grew until today
they in effect independent nations And the movement
independent government spread steadily p india
Egypt Ceyo 1raq Burma and in other countries which
either parts British Commonwealth under the partial
control OF Great Britain So valuable ndeed was the system
to all concerned especially long Great Britain remained
faithful trade and the doors to immigration from
Europe were open in the British Empire
that there movement anywhere to challenge It, until
Germany began build her fleet And then, enough in
due time the first world war for century
today that system is under challenge in two
the place Britain longer the invunerable
base because during Baldwin Macdonald torpor and
preoccupaon opposition parties and supporters
League Nations with disarmament the road to
in world of sovereign and rearming states Great
Britain now vulnerable though not defeaabe from the
air. conceded Germany that superiority in the air
which always insisted maintaining on the
Under whatever increase we may
lay in the construction facilities for air force in
Great Britain Germany equal or s'lrpass 1t.
Further Britain in the past has seldom had more
than naval enemies to meet at the same
time But TODAY and so long the an-cominten powers
exist military combination, she may have to face naval
Sea- the Mediterranean and the Far East
at the That to two-arnaed man may have
to fight armed enemy-a most dncu ana In some
circumstances impossible task.