Evening star., 1940-06-17
Chance of Heart
Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh, VII

took it upon himself a few weeks
ago to assure the Nation that mo
one wishes to attack us and no one
is in position to do So" appears to
have changed his mind on that score.
For If we are in no danger of attack
he could hardly consider it neces-
sary, whatever our decision may be
in regard to Europe" to start now
to build up our defenses," to ask
that the men of our country give
year of their lives to military train
ing to insist upon military bases
wherever they are needed for our
safety-regardless of who owns the
territory involved"
If there is need-and The Star
holds that there has long been OBJ
vious and urgent need-for defense
measures, there is danger of attack
upon our national interests. Those
interests extend far beyond our own
soil, reaching in multiple and complex
forms to every corner of the globe.
And if those interests are not only
in danger of attack but are actually
being attacked today, which is the
case, the ignoble and myopic sur
render of our world interests to Hit
Ter and company without taking such
steps as we can to preserve them is
intolerable and inconceivable.
1t is this perverse insistence by
Colonel Lindbergh that the present
death grapple in Europe and Africa
is outside our field of interest that
outweighs what merit resides in his
belated recognition of the need for
arming ourselves against direct at
tack on this hemisphere.
Colonel Lindbergh holds that it
should be no concern of ours whether
Germany and Italy or England and
France win this war. He says, as
Hitler said few days ago, that if we
demand that foreign nations refrain
from interfering in this hemisphere,
we should not interfere in theirs
And he asserts that the policy of
placing our industrial strength at
the disposal of England and France
in their desperate struggle is bait
ing of the trap of war by interven-
tionists who seek by indirection to
embroil us in the present phase of
the battle and put our troops in
France.
This is undiluted distortion of the
actual truth.
Such help as we are giving and
hope to be able to give to the Allies,
Colonel Lindbergh to the contrary
Notwithstanding, is an integral part
of our effort to defend ourselves.
The Star believes, because a tri-
umphant Germany under Hitler
would be the greatest menace which
this country could conceivably face in
the world today, that if we were pos
sessed of an Army and Navy ade-
quate to prevent that menace from
ever materializing we should before
this have declared war upon Hitler
and brought about his defeat while
allies stood at our side. Lacking
such an Army and Navy, The Star
believes that every possible assist
ance should be given the Allies to
hold Hitler at bay in Europe while
we rush our own rearmament pro-
gram, to the end that the danger
which Lindbergh partially recognizes
may be arrested if possible, and, if
worse comes to worse, at least post
poned as long as possible. All legis-
lation standing in the way of maxi
mum help to the Allies should be
repealed. All questions of credit
should be waived and munitions and
every other assistance supplied by
us if necessary.
We are, of course, no longer neu-
tral-if ever we were. Our eyes have
been opened to our peril-involved
inextricably with the peril of the
Allies. Since we must, because of
our lack of armed strength, remain
acknowledgement, let us at least play
that part without trepidation or
evasion of its full implications, and