Evening star., 1941-09-01
Britain Is Called Our First Line of Defense
As Nozis Seek Control Of Three Continents

First Line OF Defense
of Three Continents
rance Of this situation is abetted
by the very phrases we use, such
as European war" Hitler is
not waging a war for the con-
quest of Europe, which, geo.
graphically speaking, is only a
peninsula of Asia, but for the
domination of the globe.
That domination requires that
he control both shores Of the
Mediterranean and its outlets
at Suez and Gibraltar, so that
he can dominate the waterways
that separate Europe, Asia, and
Africa. Once in control of the
Mediterranean, the Black Sea,
and the Red Sea he is in control
of the whole Eastern Hemisphere.
Three Continents in One.
German geographists ceased
years ago to think of Europe
Asia-Africa as three "conti-
nents." but rightly regard them
as one continent And the essen
tial strategic area of this triple
continent lies in the Middle East,
at the juncture Of all of them.
This fact explains the ambitions
of Caesar, Alexander, and Hitler.
In striking for the Middle East
he is striking for the control Of
the world.
For, again, the phrase West
ern Hemisphere is a misnomer.
1t suggests one half of the globe.
Actually nine-tWelfthS of the
globe is water, two-twelfths are
Eastern Hemisphere, and all the
rest of the world is only one
twelfth. In point of man power
the figures are even more STAR
ting. for seven-eighths of hu-
manity live in the Old World.
Should this great area fall under
Hitler's domination and become
a united base for sea power, not
all the rest of the world together
could possibly outbuild him. He
would shortly be master Of the
oceans and control world COM
merce at will.
L. s. Needs Every Ally.
This, the true picture of the
situation that transcends all
"ideologies,' is the way the war
should be presented TO the
American people. We must see
that if one nation dominates
what Sir Halford John Mackln-
der, the English geographist, and
Haushofer, the German geopoll-
tician, call the world island
and dominate 1t at its central
area in the Middle East-the
United States is no longer big
country, but relatively a very
small one, weak in man power,
resources, industrial potentla.
and strategic position, and will
rapidly be reduced to a mere de-
pendency of the vast Eastern
Hemisphere, impotent to resist
any demands upon it of either a
political, commercial or economic
nature.
The aid to Britain cry, there
fore, blinds us to our real condi-
ton, suggesting instead a sort of
charitable idealism to be aban-
doned If it begins to hurt. The
truth Is that We need every ally
that can be mustered on the
globe-the strategical position of
the British Isles, the man power
of Russia and China, the re-
sources of the Dutch colonies,
the ships of the British and Allied
navies. We need them. We need
them exactly as much as they
need us.
Middle East Battle Vital.
The land power of Germany,
which can radiate In all direc-
tions from central base, as
sisted by aviation, which is al
ways a more effective instrument
for land power than for sea
power, must be offset by COM
bined sea power and by resistance
to the very death in the vital
area of the Middle East, where
the battle still hangs in the bal
ance.
For if the battle of the Eastern
Hemisphere, which is the battle
of the world, is lost in the
Ukraine, the Black Sea area, the
Eastern and Western Mediterra-
mean, just where can 1t be won?
Just how can world continent.
containing seven-eighths of the
worlds population and two
thirds of its land area, be block
AIDED? And just how long would
1t take Germany and her satel-
lites to outbuild Britain and
America together in sea power?
In terms of cold reality this is
what the struggle is about, and
1t is terrifically serious.
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