Evening star., 1940-10-13
prisoner. Yet Germany threatens
us.
Italy Dares Threaten.

seAy AhA 80 WIZ
Then there is Italy, the jackal
of Europe, the licker-up of
crumbs from the Nazi table.
Italy. with a newly built navy,
which has never dared face in
battle either of the two British
fleets which lock her in the
Mediterranean. Italy, whose
armies have accomplished only
the barren conquest of British
Somaliland and a handful Of
desert outposts round the borders
of Egypt and the Sudan. Italy,
whose air fleet could not even
overcome Malta, 60-miles away,
and whose submarine force is
impotent to prevent the move
ment of British conveys through
a narrow sea which Mussolini
has called Mare Nostrum" after
a Roman fashion whose trap
pings he affects though the
spirit that made Rome great has
moldered into dust with the
bones of the last centurion. Yet
Italy dares threaten the great
est power OF the modern world!
Finally there is Japan-Japan,
isolated from her friends, weak
ened by more than three years Of
war, utterly dependent financially
and commercially on American
and British Empire trade. with
her trade routes blocked and
f7anked by British and Ameri-
can bases, with a feet which
could never hope to stand against
ours In battle and an army fully
occupied in profitless and agoniz-
ing war on the continent OF Asia.
From Japan, too, come threats to
America.
Worlds Strongest Fleet.
Now let us look at our country.
We are ill-prepared for war; Of
course we are, in many ways, too
many. Yet we have a magnificent
geographical position, facing two
great oceans, commanding the
short line Of communications
between them, possessing outlying
bases from which our fleet and
aviation can operate. We have
by far the greatest industrial
plants and resources Of any nation
in the world. We have tough,
ingenious. efncient, highly-edu-
Gated population which has never
failed, once it knew its own
mind, to rise to any emergency
that confronted 1t.
We have the strongest fleet in
the world, and one not inferior
in efficiency to any other, to cay
the least. 1t is ready to deal with
any mission which may confront
it, and it lies under the hand Of
single commander, it is
strongly based and magnifi-
Gently oficered and manned.
Our Army, though hardly ready
for a great overseas expedition,
is quite capable of assuring the
safety of the fleets bases, both
home and insular.
AS to aviation, we have by far
the largest and most efficient
naval air force on earth, and we
have an Army air force which,
though its strength leaves much
to be desired, is still able to dis
charge any missions which 1t
might be assigned in support Of
the feet or our island outpoSts.
1t is true, indeed. that as to
armament, training and equip
ment a great deal remains to be
done before we may say that a
satisfactory condition of affairs
has been reached with regard
to the Army.
No Immediate Danger.
But what remains to be done,
the American people can do, and
will do. While Britain holds
fast the maritime gateways Of
Europe, we are in no immediate
danger Of attack. We can make
such Of our resources available
to Britain as shall assure her sur
vival, while building our own
fighting strength. We can, in
cooperation with Britain, re-
move Japan from the interna-
tional chess board with very
little risk of becoming involved
in a war in the Far East-the