Evening star., 1941-07-20


shooting war" against Germany, as
suming that this is the goal toward
which the country is moving, there is
one serious miSconCeption about Eu-
ropean public opinion which should be
cleared away. This is the widespread
American belief, to some extent demon
strabIy false, that the people of all
the small countries of Europe ardently
desire the defeat of Germany.
To create the impression that the
United States would be fighting war
of liberation i'll behalf of "enslaved
populations is. of course, desirable
propaganda. But much propaganda
which is very effective in attaining an
immediate objective can prove to be a
most disillusioning boomerang from the
long-range viewpoint. In two respects
that is likely to prove the case in the
present instance.
New Order" Entrenched.
In the first place. it is the plain
though unpalatable truth that through
out the length and breadth of Europe
there are many people, wholly opposed
A'-NNAAON'''
not wish to see Germany beaten by the
newly formed AngloRussian alliance.
And these people might well deeply re-
sent American action to "liberate' them
against their will
In the second place. it is painful
fact that Hitlers new order" is now
becoming stabilized in large parts of
Europe. In those areas whole COM
munities are acquiring a vested interest
in the changes which have been made,
regardless of the terrible measures taken
to effect them. These changes cannot
now be undone without further chaos,
which would be protracted unless this
country is willing to assist in policing
thousands Of miles of European from
tiers during a long transition period.
There is risk that even the bare
called "defeatist" Actually the epithet
has no legitimate applicability. Under
the LeaSe-Lend Act the United States
Is committed to defensive aid to Britain.
But it is in no way committed to re-
establishing the Treaty of Versailles. to
joining the Anglo-RusSian alliance or to
assisting Russia to reconQuer Finland,
the Baltic states, Poland and Rumania.
Before. not after. such commitments
are undertaken is the time to consider
them in terms of desira ability and feast
bility. Few who really believe in demo-
cratic processes will be deferred by any
attempt to suppress such considerations
as "defeatism." Indeed. until Congress
has declared the country to be at war,
the word is meaningless.
Simple realism. whether or not it be
labeled as "defeatism,' demands recog-
milton of the wide differences of opinion
in various European countries regarding
what now seems the best possible out
come of the war
In one group of countries, composed
Of nations which maintained their neu-
trality during the first World War but
have this time been overTun by Ger
many, there is undoubtedly a huge
majority which hopes ardently for
German defeat. disarmament and per-
haps even dismemberment. In this
group are Denmark, Norway and the
Netherlands
RecOncied to New Order"
There is a second group of conquered
countries where feeling against Ger
many is bitter but where there is also
a strong minority reconciled to Hitler's
"neW order" willing to work with it
and seemingly more favorable to
negotiated peace than TO an indefinite
continuation of fighting. In this group
are Belgium. France Greece and per-
haps Poland. in the last of which Russia
is the hereditary enemy.
A third group of countries. which
have so far maintained neutrality is
much divided in sentiment but for
theological and political reasons has
become more pro-German since Hitler
turned against Russia. This group is
composed of Portugal, Spain, Sweden
and Switzerland
A fourth category consists OF states
created by the Treaty of Versailles where
the heretofore dominant majority has
been ousted and is implacably anti
German but where important minorities,
strange as it may seem, regard them
selves as liberated" by Hitler and there