Evening star., 1940-06-19

hepuDuCdn Op- D"'iu Lawrence.
position will blast loose. There is no
such thing as nom PARTISAN consid-
erations of foreign policy at this
grave time in American history. Pol
itics and personal ambition have
come to the fore
The responsibility for this state of
affairs is being placed on Mr.. RooSe-
welt, who has consistently refused to
announce that he will not accept a
third term. He has proceeded on
the assumption that his party will
consider him indispensable in the
crisis. Hence the Republicans, be-
Geving that the Democrats are play
ing politics with a national crisis,
are themselves beginning to play
politics.
Consequence of Bickering.
Meanwhile, the destinies of France
and Britain are being settled as
consequence of the pickering and
selfishness of politicians. The spec
tacle of political maneuvering in the
midst of serious international situ-
alton is causing more and more OBJ
servers to remark that democracy
has proved its incompetence and
that rightist movement in America
will gain surprisingly substantial
strength.
Even in France there has been for
months rightist movement which
had despaired of making democracy
work. So long as men put their own
ambitions above the nations well
fare, there will be political procrasti-
nation and lack of economic organ
ization. The undercurrent which
Is coming from conservative quar-
ters is that the Blum government,
which was New Deal administra-
ton, ruined France and broke down
her preparations for war by frus-
trating her production machinery
The accusation now is that America
has been rendered helpless by left
wing tactics and is today far from
organized for war.
Plainly there is no certainty now
what American foreign policy will
be. Irrespective of the campaign
and its implications, the present
incumbent of the White House has
the responsibility for leading the
American people in this hour of
crisis. AS France drops out of the
fighting, the idea of America help
ing with troops or ships grows
hourly less and less likely. The only
chance of American assumption of
an active belligerency may come out
of complications connected with the
fate of the British fleet.
Question of Fleet Acute.
All sorts of plans are being dis
cussed in the corridors of Congress
to buy the British fleet or to make
arrangements through Canada to
give the fleet bases in American
waters. Within a fortnight, this
question will become more acute
than it is today. Admiration for the
British determination to keep on
fighting is voiced on every side but
the surrender of Poland, Norway,
Holland, Belgium and now France
after the same heroic expression of
undying purpose is recalled now as
the fact of Nazi physical force is
realistically appraised.
What should Americas policy be?
The program of furnishing material
aid to the Allies is going at top
speed, but it may be inadequate.
Then what? Congress could be asked
to authorize a declaration of a war
basis. But, to what avail? The
United States is not willing to send
troops overseas and they are really
not needed. Airplanes and pilots are
vital but as many planes as can be
manned by British pilots are being
exported already.
Chances of Involvement.
The chances of American involve
inent lie in the struggle for mastery
of the seas 1t is unlikely that the
Nazis will provoke an issue by selzing
any French or British territory in
this hemisphere. Herr Hitler will
prefer economic attack on America
through his control of nearly all the
worlds trade. He will attempt in
that way to paralyze Americas
economic power and he will succeed
unless all political parties here get
together soon on measures for the
upbuilding of the biggest air force
the world has ever known.
A force of $4,000 planes is a year
or more away, but the same genius
that can build $4,000 can furnish
100000 or more and that's the only
language that dictatorship will un-
derstand. To organize for a real
national defense program means an
armament economy closely re-
sembling the centralized operations
of present-day European govern
ments.
Will the New Deal shift its ground
and can it accomplish anything if
1t continues to play industry versus
labor and politics against politics?
This is the crucial question of the
hour and on it's answer depend the
long-range program of American
security.
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