Evening star., 1940-03-10
Blockade Strategy of Allies
Bears Out Views of Gen. Bliss
State Department Files Give Evidence That
American Protests Against Policy
Are Not Likely to Prevail
Bv Garneft D. H0rner,

You do not have to look any further
than our State Department files for an
explanation of why Great Britain hardly
could be expected to let formal protests
stop her from seizing off American YES
sells any mail and cargo that might get
to Germany
In those files, you will find an inter-
probation of Napoleonic strategy that
would make it appear logical for the
British and French to welcome Russia
into the war as an ally of Germany on
the theory that it would weaken rather
than strengthen Nazi effectiveness
'The character of this and, probably,
of future wars justifes the extreme
blockade" Gen. Tasker H. Bliss wrote
20 years ago in report to the State
Department on his mission as Amer
lean military representative on the Su-
preme War Council of the allies in
the first World War
He also remarked that Napoleon had
said he would rather fight two nations
than one" because of the general lack
OF unity of national purpose and will
IN alliances" This principle works both
ways, OF course, but Britain and France
apparently learned their lesson in the
last war and are fighting this one with
effective unity. 1t is doubtful if Hitler
and Stain could so effectively submerge
their mutual Jealousy
Blockade Certainty Realized.
Presenting an analysis of the situa-
ton concerning blockade in 1914-18 that
obviously applies with equal force to
the present war. Gen Bliss said in his
historical document recently published
by the State Department:
1T had been quickly realized by all
the allies in the very earliest days of
the struggle that the blockade was the
most effective, the most certain in its
results, of all the agencies of war avail
able to them.
Gould they prevent the Central Pow
ers from winning conclusive military
success in the field and at the same
time eftectually cut off all supplies for
them from the outside, it would be only
necessary to wait for the end.
That end might, in the opinion of
some, be more inglorious than a deci-
slVe victory won by force of arms in
the open field, but it was more certain
ana. IN the long run, less costly.
But an extreme and successful block
ade can permit no failure, anywhere.
In its operation
1T was this which forced a more and
more stringent blockade, regardless of
previous rules or of national interpre-
tatlons of them, much to the irritation
OF the United States y"
The United States has gone a long
way to avoid blockade difficulties in the
present war by enacting a Neutrality
Act which prohibits American vessels
from transporting any goods at all to a
belligerent port and forbids them to en-
ter a wide combat area" around the
belligerent nations.
Protest Law Violated
This country is currently irritated:
however, by measures taken by the Brit
ish and French in efforts to make their
blockade of Germany alright We have
protested censorship of mails seized from
American vessels bound to neutral ports
but forced into Gibraltar and other
allied ports for "contraband control"
examination, contending that interfer-
ence with neutral vessel bound from
one neutral port to another is in VIOLA
tlon Of international law
We also are annoyed by British seizure
Of mails from transatlantic planes
which have been stopped at Bermuda
during the winter, and at their efforts
to extend their blockade to control the
volume of some of our exports to neutral
countries in Europe on the theory that
they might eventually reach Germany.
Another source of irritation is the allied
blockade of German exports, which has
cut off the supply here of some products
unobtainable elsewhere.
But can we actually expect the British
and French to modify their blockade
practices, no matter how much we pro-
test? Hardly, under the theory of mod
ern warfare outlined by Gen Bliss in his
report which is contained in the two
volumes of the papers of the late Robert
Lansing, wartime Secretary of State,
that were published last month.