The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-05-15

lSphere. The President TN
days before, and during the tense
hours just after Holland and Bel
GUM were invaded he dictated
u new draft which emphasized
the Importance Of Pan American
unity, plus force. TO protect these
continents, He even raised the
question whether the American
nations could stand Idly by while
dictators conquer the rest Of
the world.
Behind all this were some very
careful studies which the Presi-
dent ana his naval and military
strategistS have been making OF
Western Hemisphere defense,
IT may sound like scare head
lines, but " Is no GXaggeration TO
say that TO the StraJeglSts who
take out paper and pencil and fig
ure on protecting the u, S. A,
Nazi activities In Norway, Den
mark, Holland and Belgium have
meant the very definite scrap
ping (for the first time In our
l64-year history OF George WASH
ington's Farewell Address on
American isolation.
Here Is how the strategists fig
urG II out. The Keystone of
American defense has been;
!. A big navy In the Pacific.
2. Friendship with Great Bril-
tain, which rules the waves In
the Atlantic.
Assuming that the British fleet
should disappear from the ATTAIN
tic, the United States would then
have 10 maintain two fleets one
for the Pacific and one for the
Atlantic. And II would take ut
least four years 10 build new
fleet for the Atlantic.
RED HERRING
One Of the weapons Of modern
war Is the red herring. Honor
has departed from warfare. The
Na2is used subterfuge to get into
Norway, German aviators dressed
In Dutch uniforms TO land III Hol-
land, Italy Unanswered in the
Mediterranean to keep the british
from sending too many ships TO
Scandinavia. Mussolini was the
red herring.
Therefore, II Is not unreason-
able 10 figure that II Germany
ever wanted TO land troops In
the Western Ucmisphcre, japan
would be the red herring, would
send her fleet toward Hawaii.
Probably she would not land In
Hawaii, but merely maneuver
enough to keep the u. y. fleet
In the Pacific, prevent II from
protecting the Atlantic coast.
At present only four cruisers,
plus one small airplane carrier
and some decrepit destroyers,
guard the Atlantic. Before the
Pacific fleet could return through
the Panama TO the Atlantic, Ger
many could land all the troops
she wanted In Trinidad, or Puerto
Rico, or the northern tip OF South
America.
Military minds calculate that
German troops even could be
landed in Newfoundland. which
has, at Botwood, one of the best
airports In the world. And from
Botwood, they could land in Maine
about as fast as U. S. forces
could concentrate against them.
Germany, however, Is not
likely to bother with New Eng
land. Far weather., far more
important are the oil fields of
Venezuela, the tropical plan
tatiOns Of Brazil, the wheat fields
of Argentina. Here there are
large groups of German and
Italian settlers. And here,
rather than In the more crowd
ed areas Of Europe, are the real
outlets for excess German pOpu-
lati0n.
IMPORTANT FACT: The Low
Countries now invaded by Hitler
are among the most t1ensely popu-
lated in the world, have no raw
materials. Outside of Africa the
WealtnleSC raw material AREA III
the world, also the least populated,
lies under the Monroe Doctrine.
ROOSEVELT TALKS
The four Iowa congressional
leaders who called on the presi-
dent the other day heard some
thing which left their mouths
agape. For Roosevelt told them
categorically that he was not
candidate for reelection.
While they were still gasping.
he delivered another sumner
that he had never seriously en-
tertained the idea OF running
again.
The four callers-Senator Her.
ring and Gillette, Rep. Jacobsen