Evening star., 1940-02-18

There Is one grave concern In the
minds Of the high priests of our foreign
relations: To keep the United States on
an even keel and leave as clean a slate
as possible for whatever administration
may follow this one after next Novem-
ber's elections. But the dramatic dis
patch Of President Roosevelt's trusted
diplomat, Undersecretary Of State Sum-
ner Welles, to Europe Is probably the
clearest indication OF how the admins
tration feels about the international
situation.
1t is recognized everywhere, In opposi-
ton as well as in administration quar-
ters, that the present overseas conditions
are fraught with 50 many pitfalls, so
many real and immediate dangers, that
whatever political fireworks may be
necessary for the gallery, fundamentally
there must be tacit agreement as to
what to do in the months to come.
The administration has been unre-
servedly sympathetic to the cause of the
allies ever since World War No. 2 be-
gan Those who want to go into the
causes Of this sympathy are referred to
the speech Of DR.. Robert Ley, the leader
of the German Labor Front, made in
Dresden on February 7: For 1000 years
the Germans have been a people of
masters-we did not want this war.
But now that We have identified our
enemies we will put an end once and for
all to the capitalstic methods of the
plutocracies throughout the world-what
is at stake is not winning battle but the
destruction of a pernicious system
II there Is God and Divine Providence,
then there are also superior rights for
the superior race-and that we are"
Long Struggle Expected.
OF course there is good deal Of pep
talk in all the public addresses of the
warning nations. But the idea of de-
struction Of the capitalistic system is the
leitmotif Of the policies of the totau-
tarians, be they Russians, Germans or
Italians. For the time being, the SYM
pathetic feeling Of the American Gov-
ernment toward the nations which de.
sire to maintain the capitahstic system
has been Of a platonic nature. When
the question Of the Finnish loan came
up, the White House bounced the ball
over to Congress. When the House of
Representatives desired to pass motion
demanding the severance of Diplomatic
relations with the u s. S. R., the admin
tstration mustered all its forces to defeat
that motion. While it has given sur
reptitious assistance to the Dutch in the
East Indies, to bolster their defenses. It
has done nothing openly for Finland.
It was up to the British and the French
to allow the American airplane factories
to give precedence to Finnish orders
which enabled the Helsinki government
to obtain 4s American planes two weeks
ago.
The struggle which Is gathering head
way IN Europe today is considered by the
coolest analysts in Washington as one
which Is going to last longer than all but
a few Of the pessimists believe. Hence
the slogan: We must keep our powder dry
and enter into no commitment which
might weaken our future position in the
Pacific and in the Southern Hemisphere.
The possibility of an Intervention in
either or both these sections of the world
is seriously considered by those whose
JOB is to prepare this country for any
eventuality.
Allies Long Way From Victory.
From reliable and unbiased observers
abroad it appears that the powers fight
Ing the totalitarian regimes have still a
long way to 60 before they can see the
light Of day-the dawn of victory. For
the time being the initiative is in the
hands Of their enemies. It is up to the
Germans and the Russians to choose
their next field of operations. The allies
will have to follow them.
The British and French governments,
despite all the signs to the contrary, still
believe in q German offensive on the
western front sometime in the course
Of this spring. From the military point of
view, they say. it would be childish not
to try 1t. There are, of course, tre-
mendous dangers to the attacking nation,
but the consequences of q success would
be such that they would justify whatever
losses the Germans might incur.
At the present time, the Germans have
under arms something between $50 and
200 divisions $4,000 to $1,000 men per