Evening star., 1941-03-23
Sees U. S. Fighting
UndecIured War
Bu OUen L. Scott.

is engaged in a new kind of war 1t is
different from the war of 1878 and
its development, although not very per-
ceptible has been swifter than last
time.
The present is not yet fighting war
and it may not be. A decision on the
issue of fighting or no fighting for
American forces rests with Adolf Hitler,
Premier Mussolini and Yosuke Matsuoka,
japanese foreign minister. 1t also rests
with the British, who are trying almost
single handed to hold off the forces
of those dictatorS and spokesmen for
dictators The dictators will decide
whether it is better to have the United
States as an avowed and active partici-
pant in war or whether it is better
from their point of view to have the
United States as an enemy, but not
formally declared enemy committed TO
produce their eventual defeat
Certainly, President Roosevelt has no
intention of asking Congress to declare
war on those representatives of .aggres-
seeking the commitments that formal
war declaration would involve.
Nonetheless, America will play an ef-
fectiVe part.
The pattern of that part, strangely
enough, was fashioned by the dictators
for their own purposes. In China, the
japanese without declaring war and
while processing an undying friendship
for the Chinese, set about the deStruc-
ton of that nation. In Ethiopia, Mus
solini fouted all law and all international
agreements to carry on an undeclared
conquest. In Spain, Hitler and Musso-
lini provided men and materials for
one side, and even used their own sub
marines to sink British ships trading
with Spain-all of the while processing
to be neutral
Little did the dictators realize that
their own smartness might be the very
cause of their downfall.
Other nations can play that kind Of
game, on more ethical basis. If that
is the game Hitler and Mussolini and
Matsuoka want played.
So now the United States will have TO
get down to the business of trying to
win a war without fighting it.
President Roosevelt thinks this can
be done The reason is that the present
war is a war of materials and machines
and of strategy more than a war of
masses of men fighting one another
along a fixed front, with victory going
TO the side that can slaughter in the
greatest numbers The United States,
once organized, can supply more mate
rials and machines than the rest of the
world put together. The British, Aus
tralians and Canadians, once they re-
ceive those materials and machines, can
use them as well, if not better, than any
other people
Thus the United States becomes the
supplying partner in the war against
the dictators.
AS the supplying partner. it is neces-
sary to see that materials produced reach
the hands of those who are to use them.
Hitler says that Americans may be able
to produce war materials, but cannot
deliver those materials through his
blockade. Mr.. Roosevelt says that mate
riaIs will be delivered. This is a chal-
lenge and an acceptance OF the challenge.
Yet the President believes the challenge
can be met without actual war.
One is that large number of Amer
ican patrol vessels can be transferred
to the British for use that is just as ef-
fective in their hands as in the hands
of the American Navy. These vessels
do not need to bear an American title
to be able to sink German submarines
or to resist German aircraft.
The second point is that there is no
bar to enlistment of trained American
naval personnel in the Canadian Navy
on a voluntary basis. Many trained
Americans may want to volunteer on this
basis when their service in the Amer
ican Navy is ended. They then could
logically expect TO find berths on one
time American destroyers and patrol
boats that had been transferred to the
British or Canadian Navies.
Then there is something else to be
remembered: American bomberS are
moving to England in increasing num-
bers. They fly to a take-of point in
Canada and then reach England a few
hours later. They can start to carry
some goods. The result is that there
can be a bridge of ships and a bridge
of planes across the Atlantic-if only
there is time to build those bridges.
The question is one Of time and of
American willingness to make the effort
that will be necessary to win this new
kind of war.
President Roosevelt believes Americans
can develop an enthusiasm for effort
heartedly to the job of producing
weapons even if American men are not
being killed in combat and even if Amer
ican cities are not being bombed. Hitler
apparently believes Americans cannot
develop this enthusiasm and make this
effort while at peace in a technical sense.
So long as Hitler feels this way he may
be convinced that it is better to have
neutral United States than a bel
lgerent United States as an enemy.
So long as Hitler feels this way the
United States is likely to remain a
neutral" and the American Army and
Navy are likely to remain on the side
lines of actual combat
However, two situations could arise to
place the United States in war in a
hurry.