Evening star., 1940-10-17

in blunt language, that we ought to
stop helping Britain.
Well, let us look at the facts.
Tried and Hoped to Maintain
Relations With All Countries.
During the long period when the
European war was brewing, the
United States did its utmost to
maintain relations with all coun-
tries, irrespective Of their disputes.
We did not feel it necessary, on
that account, to abandon our prin-
ciples: we could not. as decent
human beings, make believe that
we liked the japanese attempt to
conquer China, or forget that both
we and Japan entered into solemn
obligations to preserve the open
door. and with it the free develop
ment of China. We could not
pretend that we liked the calculated
policy Of persecution and cruelty
pursued by Germany towards mi
norities within her borders. Obvl-
ously we could not swallow the
idea that the German race had the
right to supremacy-that is, to be
our master. We could and did
plead for human decency, and for
respect for pledged faith. We hoped
that the nations concerned would
presently abandon their excesSes,
reaching a basis on which normal
relations could be carried on.
When the war actually broke out,
we went further than any nation
has ever done in an attempt to
withdraw ourselves from the area
of conflict. We withdrew our ma
tionals from the theaters of war,
Our ships from danger areas, our
goods from hazardous traffic, and
our credit from war uses. If de-
tachment could protect U.s. We had
gone the limit. What was the re-
suit? Well, American properties
and homes in the Far East contin-
ued to be Systematically bombed,
measures were taken to exclude
legitimate American commerce with
China and attempts were made to
break up our intercourse with that
friendly nation.
From Germany, attempts we're
made to interfere with the peace of
the United States and its sister
American nations on this hemiS-
phere. Hysterical propaganda was
directed against American demo-
cracy, American Government Off
cialS and the American way Of life.
Militant organizations to forward
anti American interests were lit
orally paraded before our eyes. In
certain friendly Central and South
American countries. foreign agents
openly and arrogantly proclaimed
that they proposed to make great
areas virtual colonies of one Of
these powerful military nations of
Europe" and carried on plots TO
bring this about. When, last June,
the American republics called the
Havana conference on defense, the
German government actually made
diplomatic threats to prevent these
governments from coming together
Must Plead Guilty to Disappearing
Prosecution, Plots, Treaty Violations.
The United States was not per-
mitted to doubt what these activi-
ties really meant. We saw what
had been done in Poland. Norway
and France. To ignore all this
would have been an act of criminal
folly.
We had sought no enemies. We
seek none now. If it is alternating"
strong powers to say that we do
not like persecution, torture and
murder. if it is alternating European
nations to say that we do not pro-
pose to have plots against us in our
own borders, or against friendly
republics in this hemisphere if. it
is alienation to say that we dis
approve the reckless violation OF
treaties and f1outing of every prin-
ciple not only of law but of decency
then 1 suppose we ought to plead
guilty. But if Col Lindbergh
thinks that American independence
involves acceptance of these things,
or that our independence no longer
permits Americans to stand for
honor. integrity, kindness and
decency in international relations,
he has misconceived the independ-
ence for which Washington fought,
which jefferson, Madison and
Andrew Jackson defended, which
Lincoln preserved. In dealing with
national defense, Col Lindbergh
proposes still stranger ideas. 1t is,
in his view, shocking that we might
have to defend ourselves beyond
the borders of the United States.
1t is true that our founding
fathers stood firm on American soil
and defended themselves there when
they had to. But they had more
sense than to permit wars on Amer