Evening star., 1940-06-23

When the foreign ministers of the 81
American republics meet shortly, under
call OF the United States, to consider the
new problems created by the Nazi VIC
tories In Europe, the future status OF
European colonies in the Western Hem
isphere will hold an important place in
the discussions.
After the collapse of France, the State
Department, In plain and unequivocal
language, warned the axis powers that
they will not be permitted to acquire any
territory in the New World as part of
their war spoils. In accordance with
the traditional policy relating to the
Western Hemisphere" the State Depart
ment said in its notes to Germany and
Italy. the United States will neither rec
ognize. nor acquiesce in any attempt to
transfer "any geographic region of the
Western Hemisphere from one non-
American power to another non-
American power"
AS result of the defeat of France, the
Nazi conquest of Holland and Denmark
and the possibility of subjugation of the
United Kingdom, the European colonies
in the New World have been catapulted
into the spotlight. Extending from Den
marks Arctic colony OF Greenland to the
Falkland Islands, Britains outpost in the
South Atlantic, the possessions of Euro
pean powers in the New World have a
great strategic Importance Acquisition
of apv of fhaco tarrtorioc h,, ~, +.+,1;
tartan powers, either as the spoils of war,
or through the employment of fifth
column methods, would present serious
threat to hemisphere defense Without
one or more air bases in the New World,
an invasion of the Americas by the to-
tack on the Panama Canal, would be
difficult. if not impossible, military ex-
perts say.
British Navy Vital.
IT Britain goes down to defeat, and the
British feet is either destroyed, or passes
under Nazi control, the Monroe Doctrine
will lose its first line of defense. THE
sea defense of the Americas, like that of
the British Commonwealth, has really
depended on the fact that the British
Navy. which since 1923 has been friendly
to the Monroe system, has been based on
Europe itself, and was therefore able to
command the exits from Europe to the
Atlantic, through the North Sea. the
English Channel, the Straits of Gibral-
tar and past Cape Town" Lord Lothian.
British Ambassador to the United States,
pointed out in his address to Yale alumni
at New Haven on Wednesday. so long
as this was the case no hostile ships, ex-
cept for few submarines, and raiders,
could get into the Atlantic at all You
had no serious problem of Atlantic de-
fense."
Many of the European possessions in
the New World, particularly the islands
in the Caribbean area, are well ADAPTED
Tor use as air, naval and military bases
Though the United States has taken
steps to bolster its Caribbean defenses
which guard the Atlantic approaches
to the Panama Canal, an occupation by
totalitarian forces of one or more Car
+
ain or Holland might pave the way for
an air thrust against the Panama Canal.
Military aviation has contributed to the
oHense new element-that of surprise
Before the present war, little attention
was given to the strategic value of Eu-
ropean colonies in the New World. Brit
ain, France and Holland harbored no
territorial ambitions in the Western
Hemisphere. Britain, for example, had
no more thought of using Bermuda as a
base for bombing operations against New
York than We have of using the garrisons
at Plattsburg, N. Y, or Fort Ethan
Allen, VT, as the spearheads of a march
on Montreal. Under totalitarian control
the aspect of these colonies might be less
friendly. The Nazis have captured Hol-
land, and are masters of a large part of
France. II the axis takes over the French
fleet and destroys or captures the British
navy, the defense of the British, French
and Dutch colonies in the New World
against possible totalitarian attack must
necessarily rest on the armed forces of
the United States, and those of other
American nations.
Though not lacking in economic re-
sources, the European colonies in the
New World offer few tempting prizes for
the landgrabbers. The standard of liv-
ing in many of the West Indian islands
is low and the per capita income small.
If the United States were to buy the
British and French colonies, in part set
tlement of the World War debts, as pro-