Evening star., 1941-04-26
Lack of UNDERSTANDING

the danger which confronts this
country as result of the spread of
aggression abroad. The President
himself has expressed the same view,
and it is held by most members of
his administration, who regard this
lack of public understanding as a
very serious matter.
Certainly, our national position
would be much better If we were a
united people, fully aware of our
danger and determined to make every
effort and any sacrifice to overcome
the forces that threaten us, and it is
equally certain that, as whole, the
American people are far from having
attained that complete awareness
and unity of purpose today. But it
does not follow that the people are
to blame for this deficiency.
They have been told time and again
that the Nation is in grave peril, that
greater efforts and more sacrifices
must be made, that Britain must and
Will be supplied with the materials
necessary for her own military effort.
But these propositions have been laid
down in the broadest generalities.
Specific recommendations for ac-
complishing these purposes have been
few and far between, and the picture
as a whole has been further con-
fused by what, on the surface, seem
to be conflicting points of view in
high places.
During the past week, for example,
Secretaries Hull and Knox have
spoken to the people in relatively
plain language on the subject of
getting supplies to England. Having
gone thus far, we can only 60 on"
Colonel Knox declared. Hitler can
not allow our war supplies and food
to reach England-he will be defeated
II they do. We cannot allow our
goods to be sunk in the Atlantic-we
shall be beaten if they do. We must
make good our promise to give aid
to Britain" And Secretary Hull.
asserting that aid must be supplied
without hesitation to Great Britain.
added: "This policy means, in prac-
t1cal application, that such aid must
reach its destination in the shortest
OF time and in maximum quantity.
SO ways must be found to do this"
TheSe comments, while still erring
on the side of vagueness, are strongly
suggestive that some decisive action
is to be taken to insure the safe
delivery of American war supplies.
In fact, the two speakers, and in
particular the Secretary of Navy,
came close to saying that the Gov
eminent, if necessary, is prepared
to convoy these supplies.
A few hours after these addresses
had been made, however, the Presi-
dent gave an entirely different i'm
preston. At this time, he said, the
Government has no thought of pro-
viding armed escort for merchant
ships. The President even went so
far as to draw pointed distinction
between the terms convoy and
patrol, asserting that the latter was
the present function of American
naval vessels. The one, he said, is
merely a reconnaissance operation,
while the other-and the President
somewhat Indignantly repudiated
any suggestion that it is in contem-
plation-calls for the escorting of
merchant vessels with view to
resisting attack.
In the face of such diverging COM
ments from the highest officials of
the Government, it is small wonder
that the American people are con-
fused and that they are not suffi-
GENTLY aware of the danger con-
fronting the country. They have
been kept entirely in the dark, so
far as their Government is concerned,
as to whether American-made sup
plies are reaching England or are
being sent to the bottom of the
Atlantic. And if it be true that the
submarines, surface raiders and
bombers of the axis powers are taking
an excessive toll of supply ships, the
American people have no informa-
ton as to what plans, if any, the
Government has for dealing with
such a situation. They are merely
told that the supplies must get there.
In following their present course,
administration leaders undoubtedly
are guided by motives which seem
to them to be compelling. But in
SO doing, it is inevitable that the
people, not having access to the
facts, should be the victims of con-
fusion and lack of purpose. Would
it not be better, as Wendell Willkie
has suggested, to lay before the
people the real facts and the Gov
ernment'S recommendations for deal
ing with them? Then, at least, there
would be definite and concrete
basis on which public opinion could
be built