The Wilmington morning star., 1940-05-22
"OUR AMERICA"

TIME was. not so long ago, that the Allied
l. blockade was throttling the German war
machine. Because he could not provide sup
niles in sufficient quantities to prosecute his
designs on Europe. HITLER sent his troops in
to Denmark and Norway, in violation to every
rule of decency and international law, to gain
the ores he needed for shells and bombs, gaso-
line for his air force and food both his
army and his misled people required to sus-
tain life. Successful as this thrust was, the
profits from the invasion were inadequate. 1t
became necessary to try again, and the next
step was the violation of Holland and Belgium.
But this last invasion had another objective.
In addition to the vast stores of gasoline in
the Netherlands and Belgium's coveted NUM-
lions and other resources, conquest of these
countries would open the way to Paris and to
London, and in their reduction lay a fulfill
ment of his dream of ruling middle Europe.
Already the first objective is attained. Bel
GUM and Holland are his, in effect, if not Who'll
ly in fact. Their stores are his. Save for part
of an insular province in the southeast, Hol-
land has fallen. By fire and sword he has pos
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failed to conquer his armies are wasting. So
swift has his campaign been, and so b%ungling
the Allied m until General WEYGAND
took over, the second objective seems to await
only the reaching out of his hand. The channel
ports are in sight of his advancing troops.
Paris appears doomed.
Only in the attempt of WEYGAND to throw a
1oon arOund tho TON of tho bu1 90 the Na1iS
have created in the Allied lines is there the
slightest hope of definitely hating the onrush.
If this is successful, and WEYGAND separates
the two great armies HITLER is driving toward
Paris and the channel, there is a chance that
the offensive may be checked and the war pro-
longed sufficiently to allow the Allies to take
breath and grid for stemming the Nazi tidal
wave. But because the effort started so late
the chance of success is infnitesimal. AS the
battle now stands, a HITLER victory seems in.
evitable.
And with Paris and London under his heel,
the war in Europe will be practically over.
There is some talk Of prolonging the fight, OF
keeping on in the hope of exhausting HITLER S
supplies. But this can hardly t~ranspire in
view of the fact that if he takes what supplies
the Allies have, as he will if he wins this bat.
tie, he would be able to fight on Indefinitely,
while the Allies would be without means to
carry on.
1t is at this point that Tom CONNOLLY, the
Texas representative in congress comes into
the picture. "We must not forget" he said in
a broadcast on defense, that this is our
America, and despite all the gods of war, it
must remain our America" Timely words,
these, with the nation facing the necessity of
making itself and helping all the Americas
make themselves impregnable aaginst a later
blitzkreig by the dictators of the world.
The time has gone by for criticism of pre-
vious defense expenditures. The time has come
for complete unity among all parties, factions
and groups in the effort now to be made to
complete defenses throughout the entire West
ern Hemisphere which even the four horse
men of destruction dare not assault.
Come what may, America must eternally
remain ours