Evening star., 1940-01-29
War; Early End
Is Held Key 10
u. 5. Security
American Aid Would
Stop Fight Three Years
Sooner, Writer Says

SVOIICIx VV1uCI SOyS
Americas security and the main.
tenance of her neutrality depends
upon the shortening of the Euro
pean war, H. r. Knickerbocker, vet
eran war correspondent, told a Town
Hall audience last night.
To the question What ought
America to do?"-put by Dorothy
Deter, national chairman of the
Women's International League for
Peace and Freedom, a member of
the panel, Mr.. Knickerbocker re-
piled:
1T seems to me that with the
power now so evenly divided, the
war probably will last five or six
years. y At this moment the help
of the United States Navy and a
volunteer American air corps, and
declaration of war on Germany,
would change the course Of the war
and shorten it by three or four
years. Most important would be the
moral effect on the German people"
80 you do want us to get in the
WARP" asked Miss Deter.
II consider it the welfare Of my
country to defend itself on this line,
and not when the danger gets
greater" Mr.. Knickerbocker an
sWered.
He took issue with what he con-
sidered the unjustifled attitude OF
the American people that this is
Just another imperialistic war"
which suddenly became evident inn
mediately after war broke out.
Types of Peace Treaties.
To feel that it is SUCH he declared,
is to feel that power A is just the
same as power B. which, he said, is
not the case. In support of this con-
tention, he outlined what type OF
peace treaties might be expected at
the completion of the war.
If the allies win, he said, one
group will want to avoid the mis-
takes of the Versailles Treaty, and
take the attitude-"be nice to Ger
many, and Germany will be nice to
YOU The other group also will de-
sire to avoid another Versailles, but
will want to strip Germany OF her
weapons.
| But" he asked, "if Hitler wins,
what kind of peace will there be?"
Where is the treaty of peace with
Poland?" he demanded. There isn't
any treaty of peace with Poland.
There isn't any Poland
And if Hitler wins, there wouldn't
, be any France nor England. They
would never exist as nations again"
Hitler, he said. is like the con-
ouerors of centuries ago, who over
powered a country, deprived its
people of their land and possessions,
turned them out or killed them, and
delivered the possessions to his own
people. He said that $4,000 persons
had been executed since Polands
defeat, and that in western Poland
$500 900 people had been moved out
to make room for German colon
iZers.
Four Positive Forces.
t A speedy end to the war, with
out intervention, is not likely, ne
declared, but pointed. out several
conditions which might work to that
end.
The world crisis resolves itself
into four great positive forces, he
said. Hitler and his Germany, and
his intention and attempt to domi-
nate the world; Stain and his
Russia; imperial Japan with the
ambition to dominate Asia, and
Great Britain and France, who are
literally fighting for their national
existence"
Stain, he said, lost moral prestige
with his signing of the Russo-Ger-
man pact, with his attack on Po-
land. and with his attack on Fin
land He had only power prestige"
left, Mr.. Knickerbocker declared.
"And Finland's remarkable stand
against his armies is proving him
anything but tough" he asserted.
"It's possible now" he said. that
there will be a serious upset in
Russia itself"
Finland's sturdy defense presents
a possible condition for revolution
in Russia, based on the decline W
physical power of government, ori
of the armed forces, Mr.. Kincker-
booker added.
Little Chance of Revolt.
In reply to a question put by
another panel member, Lyn Talley,
assistant to the directors of the Re-
construction Finance Corp, Mr..
Knickerbocker said:
There is no chance of quick
solution Of the war by inner revolt
in Germany as long as Hitler is alive
or as long as the Germany Army
does not experience defeat"
He told of interviewing Hitler
during his career as correspondent
through Europe, and outlined the
German leaders dominant charac-
teristics. In his 17-year career as
a newspaperman in Europe, Mr..
Knickerbocker said he first saw
Hitler in his abortive "putsch" in
Munich in 1923.
Hitler, he said, has the solid sup
port of the German people, whose
feeling for him approaches "religi-
Gus manifestation"
Mr.. Knickerbocker agreed with q
statement made by Barnet Mover,
Washington foreign affairs column
ist, another panel member, that
German nerves must give way
first" and begin an offensive move
in the stalemate.
John H. Studebaker, United States
commissioner of education and
chairman of the panel, asked:
"Will Finland meet the same fate