Evening star., 1941-01-26
Discusses Alternatives
For United States
By OUen L. Scott.

pllib up. WDdJ TehSOfl S JlleTe LOT JIle
United States to get excited about Hitler
or Japan? Why should this country
think about what amounts to military
alliance with Great Britain? Is there
any reason to think that the United
States could not do as much business
with n Europe dominated by Hitler as
with one dominated by England?
There Is strong feeling, reflected by
the Republican minority in Congress,
that the United States can go It's way
unconccrned about what happens in Eu-
rope 5000 miles away or in Asia 1000
miles away. II Hitler has trouble cross
Ing 20 miles OF water, what trouble will
he have crossing 5000 miles Of water to
face heavily ARMED America? Why
not build up American defenses, give
England this Nations sympathy as a
token and get set TO do business with
whoever wins?
A policy of that kind has an appeal
Those who advocate it point with great
confidence and pride to the 10000, 900
Americans running the greatest nation
on earth. They insist that this country
can be made impregnable to military
attack. The administration does not
argue otherwise. 1t recognizes that the
United States is powerful. But 1t recog-
nizeS also the following facts
II Hitler wins in Europe he will have
sway over 100000 people The pro-
ductlve power OF those people is as
great as that Of the American people
and is geared to war. Those people will
lack vital raw materials that are in
great abundance in Latin America. They
Will have at their command, Ship build
ing facilities seven times as great as
those of the United States. They will
nave vast armies experienced in actual
combat and eager for new fields to con-
quer.
If Japan wins in Asia that nation will
hold sway over 400 100000 people. She
Will have control of the rubber and tin
and tungsten and antimony so vital to
American industry. She will be in need
OF the copper and cotton and iron ore
and oil that Latin America can provide.
She will be in alliance with Hitler in
Europe, bringing together a bloc of 80O,-
100000 people from which to draw work.
ers and soldiers for aggression.
Between them, Hitler and Japan-With
Italy as a satellite-will control naval
forces that today are almost twice those
of the United States.
Either the United States means what
1t SAYS when 1t proclaims a determina-
ton to keep European and Asiatic ma
tons out of Latin America, or it doesn't
mean what it says
To defend Latin America, either eco
nomically or in military way-once
Hitler controlled Europe and Africa and
Japan controlled Asia-would be next to
impossible. The reasons for this state
ment are economic and military The
military reasons grow from the fact that,
relatively, Hitler would have a greater
concentration of military and naval
power closer to a nation such as Brazil
than would the United States. There is
no assurance that the Latin American
nations would be immune to internal
revolt by large German and Italian and
seeking to aid the cause of conquest
Those who look with equanimity upon
German japanese victory must be pre-
pared to face the economic consequences
for the United States. There are TO-
900 1000 people in the families of American
pendent upon European and Japanese
markets. There are millions of to-
bacco and fruit growers in the same
situation. There are 100000 industrial
workers producing for export markets
whose jobs would be involved
AS result the United States either
would become tail to the German
japanese kite in order to buy favor and
induce purchase of American surpluses
instead of the surpluses of Canada and
Latin America or would face the prob
lem Of internal reorganization to COM
pensate for these lost markets.
The New Deal is mild experiment in
trying to develop this compensation. The
New Deal grew out of President Roose-
velt's decision in 1893 to try a measure
of isolation. Businessmen did not like
the resulting controls, which were the
mildest conceivable in an economy that
involves planning.
Yet, today American businessmen are
often among the most vocal and deter
mined advocates of isolation and Mr..
Roosevelt is the most vocal and deter
mined advocate of a shift away from at
tempted isolation. In other words, the
President has gone conservative and
American businessmen have, in impor-
tant numbers, gone radical. 1t is all
very confusing and reveals the lack Of
understanding on the part of the Amer
ican people of what makes the wheels
go around.
The interesting and somewhat startling
fact, as some important Government off,
Gals see it, is that the United States still
is strongly imbued with colonial men,
tality. They point out that this country,
economically, was pretty much colony
of Europe until 1918 when finally it lost
its debtor status and became a great
creditor nation. Americans never did
learn how to exercise their new respon-
SibilitieS. For while they threw dollars
away in a program Of profigate interna-
tional lending. Then they suddenly
shifted away from foreign lending and
have been trying ever since to get back
to colonial status where some other
nation would have responsibility for run
ming the worlds economy.
The trnllhle NOW is that If Britain goes