Evening star., 1939-04-23

submarines, to attack ships that have
survived the Straits of Gibraltar and the
narrows of Pantellaria. It also affords
facilities for speedily overrunning Greece,
thus placing the Aegean at the mercy
of Italy
1t helps to cut Britain of from Egypt,
the Sudan and Palestine. It impedes
and delays the approach to India and
1ndo-China France will find it difficult
African empire
In Central Europe the annexation of
Austria and Czecho- -Slovakia not only
brings Germany to the Balkans, but it
also robs the democracies of the for
midable bastion of the Bohemian noun
tains, as we'll as depriving them of the
aid of highly effective army of nearly
40 divisions
Strategically Britain and France have
been maneuvered by dictator foresight
and daring, on the one hand, and demo-
cratic stupidity and pusillanimity on the
other, into the worst position in which
they have ever been placed. Military
autocracy has managed to secure posi-
tons which give it an almost invincible
superiority in the strategy of a great
European war.
This It has already achieved, in spite
OF constant warnings from men who had
experience OF the conditions of the last
war and had also in mind the lessons
OF the Napoleonic wars. It looks to me
as II the dictators realized the superiority
they had already attained in position
and were prepared to take advantage of
1t without giving the democratic states
time to retrieve their objectionable
blunders.
Democracies May Implement Plea.
What will be the effect of the Roose-
velt move? The dictators are naturally
raging over the Intervention of America
at so inopportune moment. But will it
deter them from putting into operation
their carefully prepared plans, now that
they are ready to act? That will, in nv
opinion, be determined by two circum-
stances or conditions which are depend-
ent on the prompt action of Britain and
France in the next few days.
The first Is the nature of the military
arrangements entered into with Russia.
I still doubt that Hitler will face an
attack from the huge armies Russia can
put into the field. He would have shrunk
from 1t in September last had Daladier
and Chamberlain not lost their nerve
and funked ignominiously Il do not
mention Bonnet-he is well nigh un-
speakable).
Russia alone is In position to turn
the flank of the authoritarian powers.
France and Britain can send no troops
to the aid of Poland. Having regard to
the conditions in the Mediterranean they
could send no troops to Rumania for
some months. America could help in
the Atlantic and she could certainly re-
strain the counter-activities of Japan in
the Pacific, but for land operations she
would be as little helpful as Britain
for many months.
Without Russia fully on our side the
dictators may win-with the whole Of
the enormous resources of Russia on
our side, the dictators would be held
and ultimately beaten. I cannot under.
stand the delays and hesitations in
bringing her in wholeheartedly. They
are foolish and may be fatal.
What to Sacrifice.
The next point is whether the demo-
cratic states have thought out what they
are prepared to give away II a confer
ence Is convened In return for assured
peace for q generation. The dictators
will not, I predict, send a point-blank
negative to the Presidents message.
They are much too astute to perpetrate
that blunder. They have to secure the
convinced and enthusiastic support Of
their own people.
They viii point once again 70 the I'M