Evening star., 1940-10-20
Axis Balkan Drive
Linked 10 Reports
OF U. 5. Army Defects
Hitler and Duce Declared
To Be Seeking Oil os
Victory Guarantee
By JOHN T. WHITAKER,

has declQeQ thaC IL can VIII OF lose
the war, is given today in Buenos
Aires dispatch published in all the
Italian newspapers.
This dispatch quotes the New York
correspondent of La Nacion, an in
fuential reactionary newspaper of
Argentina. as having reported that
"the recent visits of the Latin Amer
lean military missions disclose that
the North American army is in an
embryonic state, lacking men. lack
ing material, lacking organization,
so that the impression gained from
the visit is disconcerting.
At first glance. this may appear
remote from the italian drive against
Egypt and Germany's southwark
thrust through the Balkans to Meso-
potamian oil. 1t may seem far re-
moved from the problem of whether
Britain's sea power can maintain the
empire until the armament efforts
IN England and America achieve
aerial superiority for Britain.
In fact, it is the whole key to
1taly's entry into the war, to Japan S
signature of the tripartite pact, to
Russia's continued neutrality, to the
shaky -belligerence of Greece and
Turkey as we'll as that of Egypt. and
finally, to the continued confidence
of the axis powers that ultimate
world victory lies before them.
For the axis powers are definitely
optimistic despite the failure of air
attacks to reduce London and the
impossibility so far of an invasion
of the British Isles. They have al
ways believed in attacking their foes
singly, and they have always known
that Britain, even in alliance with
France. could not stand against the
axis powers without America.
They argue now that there is no
reason for America to come into
the war. America ought to realize
that Europe and Africa belong to
the axis and THAT the Far East be-
longs to Japan. Any other Amer
lean point of view is inimical to the
axis and merely means that the axis
must defend itself against the ma
chlnations of American ''plutocrats." D."
This is the tone of axis spokesmen,
who say that the destruction or
survival of America depends on the
attitude of America.
If Hitler can secure lubricating
oils, he can be sure of victory against
Britain, with or without American
intervention, axis circles believe.
That is why the two axis dictatorS,
on the Brenner Pass, decided on the
southwark extension of their inf1u-
ence, which has already given them
control of Rumania and virtual con-
troll of Bulgaria, with only the
Greeks and Turks lying between
them and the rich oil fields of Iraq
and Iran PERSIA.
Resistance Discounted.
The attitude of Greece and Turkey
leaves the axis unafraid. Those two
peoples say that they will fight
against invasion, but axis leaders
remember that the same thing was
said by the Austrians, the Czechs,
the Poles, the NorWegians, the Dutch
and the Belgians. Germany still
dispoSes of the blitzkrieg army,
against which no army in the Bal
kans as at present constituted can
stand.
The only thing which could
change the balance would be equal
ity in the air for the Greeks and
Turks, since blitzkrieg requires
blanket air superiority for the ad-
vance of mechanical and armored
divisions. The Greeks and Turks
have woefully inadequate air forces
and axis leaders feel that Britain,
with London being hammered daily
is in no position to remedy that
madequacy.
Consequently, Berlin is employing
that technique of stop -and-start at
which it is mastery and feels sure,
axis quarters indicate, that after a
further period in delay, and jarring
tactics of the war of nerves, neither
the Greeks nor the Turks will choose
the path of resistance rather than
the Rumanian example Of opening
up their frontiers to the advancing
armies. The axis believes that the
advent of aircraft will prove the de-
cisive psychological factor in the
final decision.
United States Has No War Psychosis.
The only conceivable upset is the
immediate release to the British OF
perhaps half the American air force
for use in the imminent battle for
oil. No one in either Italy or Ger
many, who hopes for continued good
relations with America, thinks that
this is even remotely possible.
America today is in the same posi-
ton as Britain was in face OF the
German invasion of Czech0-Slo-
vakia, it is felt here-a position OF
not feeling sufficiently armed, even
psychologically or materially, to risk
war The report of La Nacion's cor
respondent is accepted as further
proof of this, even though he is no
toriously anti-Yankee.
America not only lacks military
and air strength, according to axis
circles, but it has no war psychosis.
No one in Rome or Berlin is alarmed,
despite the war-mongering elements
in America, so long as the fall mod
els of automobiles are still coming
out. For the axis, America is still
talking rearmament in terms OF bill
lions Just as the British did in the
period of the Czech invasion when
they said that time was on the side
of the democracies even though in
that moment the Germans were out
arming the British four to one.
Thus the axis is playing the
tactics of the war of nerves with
the Greeks and Turks and blowing
alternately hot and cold on the pos
sibility of bringing Russia directly
into the axis setup. since it Is clear
that Russia will never support the
Turks or any one else against the
axis so long as America remains
neutral. Thus the axis confidence
Is real.