Evening star., 1940-06-22

PTeSlQenC ROOSe-
welt, who will David Lawrence.
write the Democratic platform. is
assuming that the people approve
his foreign policy and measures
short of war, even material aid to
the Allies, and that this stand will
bring to his side vast numbers of
voters who will indorse the Demo-
cratic administration at the polls.
Very little will be done to clarity
American policy until after the
elections. Some dramatic event like
the surrender or destruction of the
British fleet may cause a change
in the interim, but if the British
can hold out past election day in
November they will benefit by
American assistance.
The truth is both political parties
know the policy the American people
really want, but for strategic rea-
sons there is hesitancy to express it.
Want to Keep Out of War.
Rightly or wrongly, the American
people want to be spared the neces-
sity of going into war Anybody who
would lead them into war unneces-'
sarily risks rebuke. But President
Roosevelt, if he were not widely re-
garded as a third-term candidate
and were not concerned about Re-
publican isolationist attacks, would
be laying all the facts before the
American people in series of fire.
side chats. If, after hearing all the
facts. the issue became one of ag-
gressive defense and, if need be,
resistance to economic or military
invasion, the people would manifest
their lineup on it very quickly. 1t
Is not believed possible that they
would favor peace at any price
even submission to Hitler demands
for economic conquest of this hemi-
sphere.
Knowing the trends of American
opinion, Herr Hitler may check
mate opposition and slow down the
American defense program by offer
ing an appeasement program. This
Is the way England was deceived
and finally woke up after Munich
to the fact that appeasement meant
delay OF war preparations.
Is America in danger of invasion?
Already the answer is being made
that after England and France are
beaten the Nazis will be exhausted,
that they cannot fly across the
ocean and that Hitler will not in
terfere in American affairs. But
nobody in the United States Army
and Navy with any knowledge Of
defense problems is taking any such
view for granted. 1t is not the
business of military experts to be
mind readers and to guess what
political governments may or may
not do, but to assure a nations
safety.
The time has come for the mill
tary and naval experts to inform
the American people that an inva-
sion of the United States by sew
eral hundred long-range bombers
is simple matter to execute from
air bases like Greenland or from
those in the Caribbean now owned
by England and France.
Grave Issues May Be Raised.
To this it will be asserted that the
Nazls will respect the Monroe Doc
trine and will not acquire bases of
that kind. But if the coming peace
terms between the French and the
Nazis insist on these bases, will the
Republican party call another con-
vention and eat the words they put
IN their platform plank, or will they
let the Nazis have the air bases?
Before this summer is over the
Nazis may raise grave questions
affecting the Monroe Doctrine and
1t may be necessary for the United
States to order its fleet to sea to
protect those bases from acquisition
by Germany Would Senator Walsh,
chairman of the Naval Affairs Com
mittee, vote then to keep the Navy
at home and not go into war as
he has been quoted yesterday? Or
would he consider such war to
be a war of defense? These are
the points that must be cleared up
soon before the so-called war issue
IS fully understood.
Nobody in the Roosevelt admins
tration, least of all the President,
has favored sending American troops
overseas, but merely the export of
war materials. But If the British
fleet comes to this side Of the
Atlantic and America has an op-
portunity either to acquire that fleet
or to get the benefit of it's protection,
will the Congress vote to spurn the
offer and let Hitler have the British
fleet?
These are practical questions
which involve not mere conflicts of
opinion as to whether the United
States will or will not go to war.
They involve what America can or
will do when confronted with the
task Of protecting American men,
women and children and American
cities against the threat of air raids
from nearby bases in the possession
Of the Nazis.
The simplest answer to all these
queries has been given by Wendell
Willkie. who has said in q public
speech that President of the
United States should never lead his
people into war Of his own initiative,
but that the Congress of the United
states, having due regard for the
wishes Of the American people,
should take the leadership on such
q mOmentOuS issue This is sino,,lo
policy because it puts it up to the
people and affords an opportunity
Tor the fullest disclosure of the facts
about our national defense.
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