The Wilmington morning star., 1940-04-22
WAR AND MONROE DOCTRINE

TIME surrender of Denmark to the Nazl so'-
l. eminent of Germany and the situation
that surrender creates has turned American
thought to the Monroe Doctrine ana us rear
firmation.
That its import should be called to the at
tention of Old World governments IN the
present crisis was emphasized by NICHOLAS
ROOSEVELT, editorial writer of the NeV YORK
Herald Tribune and former United States
minister to Hungary in a recent address in
New York.
Declaring he opposes the entrance of this
country into the war, ROOSEVELT said it was
folly to pretend that we SHOULD see with in
difference the establishment of a German
naval base at Jamaica or Trinidad or Curacao
or sewhere in the Caribbean, and that the
best way to prevent this would be to an
nounce to the world beforehand that 1t would
not be tolerated. He declared he regarded the
possibility of German victory more likely
than it had been two weeks before the Nor
wegian invasion, and that the time was ap-
preaching, unless the outlook changed rapidly,
when the United States might have to think
seriously about granting credits to the Allies.
"A victory for Germany would not be in the
interest of the United States. We have got to
face that fact
Although the drama in the northern war
theatre has changed somewhat since he made
this declaration, and the Allies are turning
promises into performance there, the funda-
mental facts remain the same. A German
victory would indeed be against our nation
al interests. And one of the chief ways it
would run counter to us would be the seizure
by Germany of areas within the Americas
now under control of European governments.
1t is Mr.. RoosEvELr's idea that the Presi-
dent remind the world in a formal announce
ment that the Monroe Doctrine applies not
only against the acquisition of territory by a
power on this side of the Atlantic,
but that it does not permit the transfer by
one European government to another of any
of its insular or mainland possessions over
here.
This announcement should go even fur
Their" he told his audience. 1T should serve
notice that the transfer from their present
sovereignty of any of the islands of the At
lantic, like the Azores or the Canaries or the
Cape Verdes, to any country in Europe would
be regarded by the United States as an I'M
friendly act, and would be, if necessary, re-
sisted by force He made it plain that he
did not 1eiieve this country should annex
any of these or other foreign possessions, but
what l an urging is that the United States
government make it plain that the transfer
of these territories to Germany would be re-
sisted by us, and that if Germany were vic
torious and were to try to occupy any of
the islands of the West Indies or any port
on the mainland of either American CONT
nent, we should prevent that occupation by
armed force
The specific reason for this is obvious. "In
these days Of transoceanic flying they are
the stepping stones between the Old World
and the New. Anything that would facilitate
the expansion of German military, naval or
air forces in the Western Hemisphere con-
Germs us. By extending the Monroe Doctrine
to cover these islands we are, in fact, merely
adapting the doctrine to modern conditions. -
The position thus taken by a widelytrayel-.
ed man, thoroughly conversant with modern
trends and possible changes, is so logical,
and SO necessary, it could not fail, if promul-
gated by the White House, to command at
tention even in Berlin.