The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-12-30

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT bring enormous military and naval resources against this hemisphere. It is no exaggeration to say that all of us in the Americas would be living at the point of a gun gun loaded with explosive btll- lets, economic as well as military.
 We should enter upon 8 new and terrible era in which the whole world, our hemisphere in- cluded, would be run by threats of brute force. To survive in such a world, we, would have to con- vert ourselves permanently into a militaristic power on the basis of war economy.
 Some of us like to believe that even if Great Britain falls, we are still safe, because of the broad expanse of the Atlantic and of the Pacific.
 But the width of these oceans is not what it was in the days of clipper ships. At one point be- tween Africa and Brazil the dis tance is less than from Washing ton to Denver-five hours for the latest type of bomber. And at the north of the Pacific ocean Amer ica and Asia almost touch each other.
 Even today we have planes which could fly from the British Isles to New England and back again without refueling. And the range of the modern bomber is ever being increased.
 Don't Brighten Us!
 During the past week many people in all parts of the nation have told me what they wanted me to say tonight. Almost all of them expressed a courageous de- sire to hear the plain truth about the gravity of the situation. One telegram, however, expressed the attitude of the small minority who want to see no evil and hear no evil, even though they know in their hearts that evil exists. That telegram begged me not to tell again of the ease with which American cities could be bombed by any hostile power which had gained bases in this Western Hemisphere. The giSt of that tele- gram yas: Please, Mir. President, don't frighten us by telling as the facts"
 Frankly and definitely there is danger ahead = danger against which we must prepare. But we well know that we cannot escape danger, or the fear of it, by crawling into bed and pulling the covers over our heads.
 Some nations of Europe were bound by solemn non-intervention pacts with Germany. Other na- tions were. assured by Germany that they need never fear in- vasion. Non- intervention pact or not, the fact remains that they were attacked, over-run and thrown into the modern form of slavery at an hours notice or even without any notice at all. As an exiled leader of one of these na- tions said to me the other day "the notice was minus quantity. It was given to my government two hours after German troops had poured into my country in hundred places"
 The fate of these nations tells us what it means to live at the point of NaZi gun.
 PiOus Frauds
 The Nazis have justified such actions by various pious frauds. One of these frauds is the claim that they are occupying a na- tion for the purpose of 're- storing order" Another is that they are occupying or control ling a nation on the excuse that they are protecting it" against the aggression of somebody else.
 For example, Germany has said that she was occupying Belgium to save the Belgians from the British. Would she hesitate to say to any South American coun- try, We are occupying you to protect you from aggression by the United StateS?"
 Belgium today is being used as an invasion base against Britain, now fighting for its life. Any South American country, in Nazi hands; would always constitute a jumping of place for German att tack on any one of the other re- publics of the hemisphere.
 Analyze for yourselves the fu- ture of two other places even nearer to Germany if the Nazis won. Could Ireland hold out? Would Irish freedom be permitted as an amazing exception, in an unfree world? Or the islands of the Azores which still fly the flag of Portugal after, five centuries? We think of Hawaii as an outpost of defense in the Pacific. Yet, The Azores are closer to our shores in the Atlantic than Ha- waii is on the other side.
 Evil Forces
 There are those who say that the Axis powers would never have any desire to attack the Western Hemisphere. This is to same dangerous form of wishful thinking which has destroyed the powers of resistance of SO many conquered peoples. The plain facts are that the Nazls have proclaimed, time and again. that all other rdees are their infer- iors, and therefore subject to their orders. And most important of ell. the vast resources and wealth of this hemisphere consti. tnte the most tempting loot In all the world.