The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1940-09-30

peter out as speedily as possible.
There are English and Canadian
newspapermen in this country,
however, who are cabling and tele-
graphing home plenty Of comment
relative to the damage TO British
imperial interests in the Y. S. A.
that they sense as a result OF
such publicity. I've seen several Of
their dispatches. Lord Lothian.
too. may have made confidential
representations to his government.
I don't mean to imply that either
Lord Lothian or the Anglo-Cana-
dian correspondents would be hos
tile, in a pinch, to any kind OF
tie-up between their empire and
Uncle Samuel. but they fully ap-
preciate that the chances Of it are
strongly prejudiced adversely by
premature advertising. OF course,
they do. They draw their conclu-
zion from American press editor
ais and from what they hear on
Capitol Hill, where they're very
yigilant listeners-in, believe me-
Canadians Badly Upset
The Canadians are more per-
turbed than the overseas English
partly because they understand us
better: partly because they have
that Canadian Yankee mutually
defensive pact just being conclud-
ed and it makes 'em shudder to
think Of it as being Grabbed at the
last minute.
Right in the midst Of the nego-
tiations along came Sir George
Paish, the eminent English econo-
mist, whom Senator Burton X.
Wheeler quoted correctly or 9TH
erwise) to the effect that he was
here TO get us into the European
war. That raised hades, but Lord
Lothian managed TO get Sir George
hushed up somehow.
Our swap OF so destroyers for
military bases on British islands
of our Atlantic and Caribb,
coasts followed. 1t was trade
which American public opinion
doubtless generally approved in
principle, but there was consider
able criticism of the fashion In
which President Roosevelt put it
through, without congressional in
dorsement- Some fault is found
even with our pact with Canada,
on the ground that congress hasn't
had enough to say about it.
o All in all, we'll informed British
ers could see that they'd got to be
careful-not indiscreetly laxative.
And then, up pops the contro-
versy in the house Of commons as
to the possibility of an Anglo
American union.
Directly on the heels Of 1t the
report gained currency that Brit
ain and Uncle Sam may arrange
for an American naval base at
Britain's Singapore - which nat
urally would step heavily on ia
pans toes.
It's a sequence OF reports and
rumors that the British don't like
to have current on our side of the
Atlantic. Fulhllment of EN- isn't
what they object to. What they're
afraid Of is that plans will be
queered by overly early ventilation.
British American Union
Exactly what a British-Ameri-
can union would resemble we don't
know yet.
We do know, though, what kind
Of a union the British offered to
France before the French capitu-
lated to Germany.
The scheme called for joint
Franco-British citizenship, a joint
parliament and a pooling Of Fran
co-British economic resources, but
separate internal administrations
Would we like this scheme?
Which would be which? Our, con-
gress or Britain's parliament?
The thing isn't precisely pro-
POSSu' HNlIl4diu SlVhtS, hdDoI
member, only asked in the house
Of commons, if it's under consider
alton. Clement Atlee, high cab
met Official in the Churchill admin
istration, replied that it won't be
pushed, anyway, without an ample
opportunity for parliamentary de-
bate He didn't mention that con-
gress may desire to debate it like
wise.