Evening star., 1941-12-28

air attack, is becoming all too apparent.
For the time being the japanese have
uncontested command of the Western
Pacific. And in this vital area Hltlers
new ally is not wasting opportunities.
More basicaly disturbing than this
unexpected setback is the great enigma
of Russian policy.
For those whose responsibility forces
them to think ahead there is, paradox
ically, cause for anxiety in revelations OF
Russian strength which are coupled with
uncertainty as to Russian purpose. Brit
ish and American war aims are now
joined but those of Russia remain dis
tinct as long as Moscow and Toxic pre-
serve their present amicable relations.
The meeting of Churchill and Roosevelt
of itself advertises that Stain is not
present.
Finally there is the further mystery
surrounding the new powers which Hitler
! has arrogated to himself; mystery which
/ affects the attitude of France and Spain
and Portugal and Turkey; mystery which
intensifes alarming rumor about all the
disquieting comings and goings as this
| boodstained year draws TO its tragic
close.
Certainly there is something more
| than little suspicious in the subtle ad-
vertsings of German weakness which
Nazi leaders have recently been at pains
| to broadcast from Berlin. Mr.. Churchill
has taken early occasion to discount the
fond hope that Germany may be disinte-
| grating And if the japanese are really
worried by the seeming difficulties Of
their major European ally, they fail to
| give much evidence of anxiety in their
actions.
| No Concealed Items
At the end Of 1941 the balance sheet
! of this world war is under close scrutiny
in Washington. For the distinguished
auditors now at work in the White House
there are no false entries and no con-
cealed items. They know the facts, so
far as one group of belligerents can
ever know them in the midst Of fighting.
But it is relatively immaterial whether
plus or minus sign is recorded after
expert examination of the situation in
Europe. Africa and Asia. For in either
case the same conclusion must be drawn.
favorable, prognosis for 1912 will be the
same.
Now that the United States is at war,
and more dangerously at war than most
Of its citizens as yet realize. Anglo
American cooperation must be solidified
and made effective Such cooperation
is vital if, through Russian achievement,
the time is at hand for offensive action
against the Axis. Such cooperation is
even more vital if the picture is not
changing for the better and if defense
the word which has been most ham,
mered into American thinking-is still
the keystone of strategy.
In securing this cooperation, there
must, of course, be both give and take,
/ whether the consideration be the allo-
cation of warships to a particular area
or agreement on principles-more pre-
else than what Mr. Churchill rightly
called the "rough-and- ready" statement
Of the Atlantic Charter-which will gov
ern the making of peace But it must
be remembered throughout that COM
promise is valuable precisely because,
and only because, it can lead to effec-
tive unity.
And the unity which is sought will
have to be planned under American
leadership, for the postwar as we'll as
for the war period. War is never an
end in itself At best the procedure
makes sense only if it is regarded as
means to some end which is steadily
kept in mind. This country, which is
not yet fighting from habit, is in the
best position to remember that some
times forgotten truth.
Leadership Up to U. S.
There are other, very specific, rea-
sons why the United States must CO.
operatively prepared to assume enduring
leadership in the Anglo American COM
bination. One of these reasons is we'll
summarized in dry but startling article
in the current issue of the Federal Re-
serve Bulletin entitled Gold and Dollar
Resources of the United Kingdom"
What this article shows is that the
British financial position, in spite of all
the bolstering of Lease-lend and Re-
construction Finance Corp. advances, is
now little short of desperate. From the
beginning of 1912 the burden of financ-
ing the war, British effort as well as
American, will of necessity fall almost
entirely on the taxpayers of the United
States And it is an old adage that
who pays the piper, calls the tune.
When the war is won, not only
PROSTATE Europe, but also victorious
Britain will be almost completely de-
pendent on the United States for the
, essential needs and basic means Of re-
covery. And nobody realizes this better
than Winston Chuchill, who before he
became great war Premier was an ad-
mirably efficient chancellor of the Brit
, ish exchequer
The visit of Mr.. Churchill, Lord Beav-
erbrook and their aides to Washington
indicates something more than the fu-
, sion of British and American war effort.
1t symbolizes, also, the location in the
Capital of the United States of per-
, manent leadership for the developing
, Anglo-Saxon combination.
Whatever plans for joint action are
agreed on at this conference, 1t will be
) the United States which will have to
provide the major share of the power
to carry them through. Inevitably this
means that in the working out of Anglo
y American cooperation this country will
y more and more assume the role Of
. dominant partner.