The Wilmington morning star., 1940-09-12
WASHINGTON
REPORT
BY r p. W.
Central Press C0lumnist

WASHINGTON, Sept 11.-Plenty of critics
find fault with the fashion of President Roose.
velt's trade Of so of our semi-obsolete de-
stroyers for Yankee navy and aviation bases
on John Bulls islands off our Atlantic and
Caribbean waterfront and as far south as
British Guiana, at the extreme bulge Of the
South American east coast into the ocean.
Some say that our transfer of the so de-
stroyers to Britain was an act of war against
Germany. Still more contend that, anyway,
the president had no right to conclude the bar.
gain without congress approval-though At
torney General Robert H. jackson argues con-
trariwise.
However, there's a general trend of opinion
TO the effect that, independently OF the "act OF
war; consideration and Of the presidential
conclusion Of the deal without consulting the
national legislators, it was a pretty good dick
er, on the ground that we don't particularly
need the old destroyers, and that WI do need
the bases we're acquiring.
Enthusiasts even compare the swap with
President Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase.
which certainly turned out remarkably well
from Uncle Sans standpoint
Adverse Comment
To be sure, adverse commentators deny
that this is a fair comparison. In the first
tory was a lot better worth having than Brit.
aims island and Guiana bases are. Further
more, they remind us that Jefferson got the
whole Louisiana territory and got 1t for keeps,
whereas we get only little dabs on the shores
Of Britain's western h~emispherical insular and
mainland soil, and we get even these dabs
merely on a 99-year rental basis.
Be all that as it may, Britain, in exchange
for our destroyers, is mere than willing to
lease to us the bases referred to.
Now, though, it's suggested that there are
other islands it would be a bright idea for us
to take possession of-islands on which we
probably shan't be able to establish ourselves
without considerable opposition.
French Possessions
France has one or two in the Caribbean,
and, incidentally, a South American mainland
foothold, just inshore from its DEVILS island
convict settlement. Then there are the Dutch
West and East Indies. There's Greenland. The
Falkland group of islets, in the South Atlantic
off Argentina, is mentioned. The Azores, in
mid-Atlantic, but strategically important, il
the South American east coast needs to be de.
Tended, are spoken of.
We couldn't establish bases on these spots
on the map without a deal of objection.
General DeGaulle, who, under the Petain
regimes sentence of death, is trying to run an
anti-German French government from his
place of exile in London, might be willing to
talk business with President Roosevelt as to
his country's new world possessions but the
Petain crowd at Vichy asuredly wouldn't be,
and it's a safe bet that Hitler would bak also.
Queen Wilhelmina, also a London refugee,
but still calling herself Hollands sovereign,
possibly would be glad to grant Yankee bases
in the West and East Dutch Indies. Germany
Nazis couldn't do much about it, but, as to
the Dutch East Indies, Japan could raise an
effective boiler.
As to Greenland
Greenland's Danish. The Danes, overrun
by the Germans, can't say anything, whatever
Uncle Sam does, but the Nazis can yowl VIC
lently if we take a hand in the situation in the
region the late Doc Cook advertised so extern.
sively. Oh, they can't stop US, but it would
be an incident"
The Falklands are British. John Bull would
not oppose us there. But that's an insular
group that the Argentine Republic claims, un-
der the name Of the "Malvinas Islands" II
we do anything arbitrary relative to the Falk-
AoAioo, we ulIHSOldte1y VII oAA1o5oaAAS 1lS
important nation in the Pan-American lineup.
The Azores are Portuguese, They're of the
utmost strategic importance to the Americas,
but it would be rather raw If we grabbed so
much as a naval-aerial base in their midst,
without Portugals consent. And Portugal a
afford to give its consent; it's in too much
danger from Spain, dominated as Spain is by
German-1talian influences.
! All in all, islands are ticklish places. l