Evening star., 1939-02-12
Firm Foreign Policy
Revives Peace Hopes
BIZ ODen L. Scott.

Those military and naval strategists
whose job it would be to defend the
United States in the event of trouble say
that there are basic facts that the Amer
lean people will do well to understand in
weighing today's world developments.
Among these facts, outlined by highly
realistic officials, are the following:
The British Navy is and long has been
the first line of defense of the United
States in the Atlantic. Defeat of that
navy, or its acquisition by hostile power
after victory over the British, would
remove the screen behind which this
Nation has been permitted to enjoy the
luxury of splendid isolation"
At present there is no power that
might be classed as unfriendly that is
capable OF attacking the United States,
nor is there any prospect of such an at
tack so long as the British fleet polices
the Atlantic Neither is there any power
in the Pacific capable of attacking the
United States SO long as this Nation can
maintain its naval position in that ocean.
Any hazard of involvement existing at
present for the United States, so far as
practical aspects of defense are con-
cerned, lies in the chance that power
regarded as unfriendly might acquire
naval or air bases at strategic points in
the Atlantic that could threaten British
and American naval power or disrupt
commerce. Greenland Iceland and the
Azores represent areas that this coun-
out of the hands of potential enemies at
most any cost.
Inasmuch as British and American
interests in the Atlantic are parallel,
rather than conflicting, there is every
reason why the United States should take
steps to help the British strengthen their
position. Sales Of American airplanes,
allies, the French, are most effective
way of bulwarking the British position
without in any way creating formal en-
tanglements.
AS a consequence of the moves made
by President Roosevelt to show that the
United States will serve as base for
supplies for the British in the event of
war, the outlook for peace in Europe is
better now than at any time in recent
years. This is true-so say the men who
are assessing the situation-regardless of
surface indications to the contrary.
Reasons advanced are several
The German Army is rated as distinct
ly inferior to the French Army at this
time. The German Navy today still is
far behind the British Navy in strength.
The Italian Army, by accepted stand
ards, is Of highly uncertain strength.
The Italian Navy is effectively matched
by the French Navy. Italian and Ger
man resources in raw materials are dis
tinctly limited and very inferior to the
resources that the British and French
could draw upon.
Superiority of the Germans and
terrorize and can disrupt vital services III
an industrial nation, but cannot conquer
territory. To be effective and successful,
an air war would need to be swift and to
spread terror that would force quick
capitulation occasioned by a state Of
nerves"
There now is grave and growing doubt
that the Germans and Italians could at
this time wage such war successfully.
This doubt arises out of preparations
for attack that have been made by the
British and French in recent months,
both in defensive equipment and in con-
ditioning the people for resistance to the
assault that would be made on their
nerves and on their normal habits
Doubt is greatly increased by evidence
that the factories of the United States
would be available to supply the British
and French with airplanes in numbers
at least as impressive as the most opti-
mistic estimates of German and Italian
| production.
Army experts figure that casualties of
| planes in active war service under mod
ern conditions would amount to mini
mum of so per cent month. If Ger
many possesses 5000 planes that she
could throw into attack, she could count
on losing at least 5000 of those planes
| in a month of fighting. Requirements
alone in year of war would have to be
! $4,000, which is far above German Ca
pacity for production and supply.
In the meantime, the British and
| French governments could count on &C
| cess to American productive capacity as
| well as on their own. That productive
capacity would not be subject to disrup-
| tion through attack and soon would give
| those nations a distinct advantage over
| their adversaries.
This situation, brought into the open
by recent large British and French plane
orders in this country, helps to account
for the firmer stand now being taken by
Great Britain and France in dealing with
| Germany and Italy. Confident of their
superiority on land and on the sea, those
nations now are confident of approach
| ing equality and even superiority in the
| air. At the same time, the Germans
and Italians are forced to reconsider
their position and to move. more cau-
tiously.
The advantage, due Importantly to the
position Of the United States, is shifting
from the relationships to the govern
/ - 0.-s1