Evening star., 1940-05-04
British Leaders Tryinu
To 'Mudd|e Through
Despite Reverses
Lack Of Imagination
Seen More Serious
Than Allied Losses
By WILLIAM H. STONEMAN

BY WILLIAM H. STONEMAN,
Chicago Daily News Foreign Correspondent.
LONDON, May 4.-The losses
which the allies have suffered in
the north have not been very Sc
rious in themselves and are bal
anced both by the Gripping of the
German fleet and the fact that some
4,0O0,00 tons of Norwegian shipping
suddenly has been placed at the
complete disposition of Great Brit
ain and France. Nor is the estab-
lishment of German hegemony
over all Scandinavia necessarily
going to be too serious strategically.
What is important, and perhaps
vitality important, is that Britain is
still trying to "muddle through" in
a mortal struggle against the mCst
resourceful and fastest-hitting en-
emy she has ever faced.
Another fact of paramount i'm
portance is that the very leaders
who have been responsible for this
muddling process neither have any
intention of retiring in favor OF
others, or, indeed, seem to realize
that they have been remiss.
Prepared to Explain.
Sir John Simon. Chancellor Of the
EXchequer, speaking in London yes
terday, expressed the cabinets atti-
tude in the following words: I'VE
have this situation in hand and the
government is well prepared, at the
first moment it is right to do so, to
explain this whole situation frankly
and fully to the British people to
whom they are responsible. You
may. dismiss from your minds the
idea that this is going to be the
material for some exciting political
controversy or combat
Sir John may have been overly
optimistic when he said that the
Government could avoid a political
row over the Norwegian campaign,
but he may be right when he indi-
Gates that the government will re-
main in complete control. With
about 400 members of Parliament,
against some 200 members of all
opposition parties. and with "close
the ranks" as its battle cry, the
Chamberlain machine may easily
carry the day. That will simply
mean, however, that the same group
of men who have been running
things for the first seven months of
the war-in fact, the same men who
have been running things since long
before Munich-will remain in power
and will be free to run things as
they have done in the past.
No Omen Of Victory.
If, as most people outside the
Conservative party seem to believe,
the Norwegian campaign was both
welcomed and then lost because of
lack of imagination, this cannot be
accepted as an omen of victory.
The foreign political consequences
of the Norwegian collapse may be of
more immediate concern in shaping
the future course Of the war. The
most important of these conse-
quences is that every neutral in Eu-
rope is now on the Skids and that
the establishment of a new front
through which Germany could be
attacked successfully, either eco
nomically or militarily, now appears
out of the question.
This seems to reduce the allied
possibilities first to continue the
blockade, which cannot defeat Ger
many Immediately, and finally to
make gigantic frontal attack on
the western front. The success Of
this latter measure always has been
open to grave doubt and it has al
ways been the consensus that 1t
would be better if some alternative
field of operations could be secured
When all these things are con-
sidered it is difficult to see how
the chances of an allied success,
without both a complete change of
outlook and strong reinforcements,
can be more than meager.