Evening star., 1940-06-10

Editors Note: Many commit
ntcdttons haze been received
from, readers concerning the sec
ond World War and the relation
OF the United States. to its prog
ress. Portions OF representative
letters are printed here In such
space as is available.
To the Editor Of the Star:
The 531 members OF Congress can
keep Italy out of. the war and deal
Hitler the first defeat he has suf-
fered since he began the slaughter
of democracy. If Congress declares,
in time, that the United States has
abandoned it's fictitious neutrality;
that we are, for the moment, nom
belligerent; that tomorrow or the
next day. upon the decision of Con-
gress, we may abandon our non-
belligerent status and enter the war
upon the side Of the Allies; If Con-
gress makes that declaration, Italy
will stay out of the war. II 1t is
already too late to keep Italy out
and 1t may be-such a declaration
by Congress can largely neutralize
the effect Of Italys decision to fight
for German victory. Italy holds
her possible entrance into the war
as sword of Damocles over the
heads of the Allies. America can
hold the possibility Of our entrance
as an even sharper sword over the
head of MlsSolini
Congress has approved large de-
fense program-a program which,
If the Allies are defeated, is only
small beginning We have been
asked by Col. Lindbergh and others
what we mean to defend. North
America? South America? Or
South America only as far as the
Brazilian bulge? Why bother to
ask? 1t doesn't matter what we
mean to defend. With Britain and
France defeated, we can defend no
part of South America. We cannot
even defend successfully the Pana-
ma Canal. We can defend North
America only briefly. Our one
chance to defend this hemisphere
and the United States is to keep
Britain and France from defeat.
And the only sure hope of keeping
the Allies from total and crushing
defeat is to throw the threat of our
potential military might into the
scales on their side Immediately
before Italy enters the war. And to
follow this threat at once with every
gun, bomb. tank and airplane, new
or old, that we can ship to France
and Britain. We may even have to
send pilots to fly the planes We send
Would Congress rather have Amer
lean pilots fighting to defend Amer
lea over the cities of France and
England-and Germany-or over
New York and Washington?
Must Congress always wait for
public opinion to force it into &C
tion-perhaps too late? Public
opinion-slow to become articu-
late-is already Overwhelmingly in
favor of support for the Allies. Too
many Senators and Representatives,
throughout this crisis, have as
sumed an undignified knee -chest
position, one ear to the ground
And even in that semi prone posi-
ton, they do not hear well. These
are ominous times. The Nation
needs leaders in Congress-not
sheep.
The fate of democratic America
the fate of the world-lies in the
hands Of the Congress of the United
States in these next few crucial
days. Pray God that they will not
be too blind to see and too timid
to meet the responsibility that has
been thrust upon them.
To the Editor of The Star
I think the Government ought to
send 1000 bombing planes and 1000
pursuit planes to the Allies. It Is
better to fight on foreign soil than
to fight on our own.
P. w HUDSON.
To the Editor OF The Star
Out of the moves and counter
moves on the world chess board
as the British and the French dis
pute territorial gains with the Ger
mans. it is interesting to observe
that the inner council of the British
Empire has not yet given up hope
of fulfilling Lord Miners and An
drew Carnegie's dream of union
ization of the two great English
speaking countries. the United
States and the British Isles. with
the seat of the British Empire in
Ottawa. Canada, and with two
great navies. the British and the
American, patrolling two great wa
tiers, the Pacific and the Atlantic
Prime Minister Churchill's speech
Of June 4, Stephen Leacock's re-
cent book on the contemplated
union, Clarence K. Streit's book
Union Now; Alfred Duff Cooper
lectures and w. T. Stead's book
THE Americanization of the
World" give some indication OF
what is in the minds Of members
of the unseen council which op-
crates the far-flung British En-
pire. Canada. with 1894 1863 square
miles Of land for only 10,670, 500
people, could easily accommodate te
the 46,212,599 people now occupy
ing the 50,328 square miles area
Of the little British Isles. The