Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-13
By FRED VANDERSCHMIDT.

British planes have struck the
blow at Italy's main naval forces
which the British Mediterranean
fleet has not been able to get close
enough to deliver, and the result,
the British Admiralty's reports say,
gives John Bull a tremendous naval
advantage in the Mediterranean.
The Admiralty says it has pictures
and pilots reports to prove that
three of Italy's six battleships have
been put out of action by British
bombers at laramie and that two
cruisers and two smaller ships were
damaged. These are the heavy
ships which Mussolini has been
boarding for his great offensive.
If this British raid did the dam
age claimed for it, Mussolini is in
the difficult position Of having but
three capital ships to pit against
nearly ten which the British are
believed to have on patrol some
where in the Mediterranean guard
ing the empires very life.
Aside from the discontinue which
this raid is giving Mussolini-he al
ready has trouble enough in Greece
the British bombing foray makes
it all the more important to Adolf
Hitler that he get what he wants
from Soviet RuSsia's Molotoff.
Land Supremacy Sought.
1t underlies the Nazi need for
success in a supreme diplomatic ef-
fort to make land power supreme
over sea power at the other end of
the Mediterranean, the Near East.
The British Navy still dominates
the Mediterranean, from one end to
the other, and the main reason 1t
still has that dominance at the east
ern end is Turkey, Britain's ally
Turkey controls the land bridge be-
tween Europe and Asia Minor, and,
were that land bridge open to
hostile power, no combination of sea
power alone could block the road to
Suez, through Turkey, Lebanon or
Syria and Palestine.
Turkey has held firm to the Brit
ish alliance-a pledge of mutual as
sistance in the event of an act of
war in the Eastern Mediterranean
area-although she has not imple-
mented it and has not, apparently,
been asked to do so. But Turkey
has given increased evidence of her
dependence on Russia, the only
power which could give her ade-
quate and immediate assistance by
land If she were attacked by Ger
many.
Course Depends on Soviet.
Ismet Inonu, the President of
Turkey, the man who acted as sort
of a military bookkeeper for the
great Ataturk, said two weeks ago
in almost so many words that Tur-
key intended to chart her course
with a careful eye on Soviet for
eign policy. Even before he spoke,
German Ambassador Franz Won
Papen, the Won Papen of Americas
World War memory, was on his
way home to Germany.
Was this the cue for the German
Russian negotiations?
With a Russian promise to stay
out, German troops could descend
through Bulgaria, give aid and COM
fort to the Italians by helping sub
due Greece. and camp on the fringes
Of Turkeys Dardanelles. Then,
with Russia, on the one hand, look
ing the other way and Germany, on
the other, exerting the military
pressure that is all too familiar in
Europe, Turkey might have no other
choice but to let the Nazi divisions,
Suez-bound, roll through.
Along about that time there prob.
ably would be another final" peace
offer to Britain, possibly, even,
through the use of Soviet good Of
fees.
All this, of course, reflects the
viewpoint of German desires and
benefits and does not take into &C
count Russia's own interests, which
will, of course, dictate her decision.
That is today's mystery, for this