Evening star., 1940-12-30


inspired from abroad, but he insists
that it is operating in exactly the
way the axis powers would want it
to operate, namely, to discourage
American help for Britain.
1t has not been supposed either
here or elsewhere that this So-called
appeaSement movement represented
any substantial minority. But the
President is a keen student of the
currents Of public opinion, and he
has felt that the best way to squelch
it was to argue it out on the radio
so that millions of persons would
have his point of view as means
of answering what must be a con-
Stant debate among the citizens
concerning war issues.
The Presidents speech may be
considered as largely for internal
consumption though it has in it sew
eral significant sentences which
cannot but make a profound i'm
preston abroad. Thus, his words of
encouragement and praise for Brit
tain will stimulate the morale of the
people of the British Empire. His
explicit reference to the Japanese
German-Italian compact of three
months ago now becomes the basis
for any future military or naval
action America may feel required
TO make Any time the President
wishes to point to the danger Of
attack, he can refer to the German
Japanese-Italian alliance and its
terms which threaten America.
Sensational Warning.
But while Mr.. Roosevelt may be
laying the foundation for his case
In the event that America finds it
necessary to become an active bel
ligerent. the speech adopts the
thesis that the way to keep America
out of war is to help Britain lick the
Nazs. The President assumes that
in a Hitler dominated world the
United States would not be sure of
its own safety and might have to
fight Hitler alone. He assumes also
that if Britain wins, America has
nothing to fear.
There was nothing new in the
Presidents argument, but it is new
for President to make it in such
open and frank discussion OF the
fate of a so-called neutral nation
in terms of the possible outcome of
the war. Mr.. Roosevelt holds in
the world today a remarkable posi-
ton of potential force. Through
out the Western Hemisphere his
words are regarded as representative
of American public opinion because
only a few weeks ago he was elected
for the third time in an unprece-
dented contest. Europeans have
until now read various editorial ex-
pressions or speeches of various
spokesmen of American thought, but
when the President of the United
States lines up America definitely
behind Britain and against the axis
powers, 1t comes as a sensational
warning to all the peoples of the
rest of the world that perhaps Amer
lean military and naval might may
yet have to be thrown into the
scales to assure the kind of an out
come for this war that Mf. Roose-
welt declares is essential for the
preservation Of our democracy and
system of government.
Unfortunate Aspect.
Herr Hitler might be disposed to
make answer, but his only reply can
be a denial of hostile intent toward
the United States, which, in the
light of Hitler protestations before
Norway, Denmark, Belgium and
Holland were invaded, will not be
found acceptable to the preponder-
ant opinion of America.
1t Is most unfortunate, of course,
that an occasion which brought a
world of listeners and readers should
be employed by the President almost
entirely to deal with internal divi-
sions when there is so much more
important work to be done in reach
ing over the heads of Hitler and
Mussolini to the peoples of Central
Europe. There can be no doubt
that a message, directed to those
peoples and assuring them that
the freedom they do not now enjoy
can be obtained if dictatorship were
overthrown, would begin to under
mine the morale of German civilian
populations, if not armies and
navies, in this war, as it did in
the last.
But it may be that the President
Is reserving that kind of a speech
for another occasion when he can
indicate the nature of the co-opera-
ton which the United States may
be willing to give in order to bring
about an enduring peace and espe-