The people's voice., 1941-06-04

1d flCo may COItluuC " ldNC Ce'Sh OSfi
er across the breadth of oceans, bu
the battleship's dominance of eyel
blue water was challenged last weel
when British air power defeated thu
Bismarck. OF course the coup d.
grace" was administered by cruiser
but in Washington they already arr
wondering if naval officers did no
call off the planes at the end to pre-
serve naval prestige.
The point is that the President
freedom of the seas" can be attained
in the eastern Atlantic and in the
Mediterranean only by repeating the
Neutrality Act, sending U. S. mer
chant ships into those waters, sup
ported by U. S. warships and war
planes operating across an ocean. But
he has denied any intention of asking
for the Neutrality Acts repeal. (But
combat zones can be changed.)
If freedom of the seas" is to be
thought Of in terms of Anglo-U. S
domination of the worlds waterways
which is the only inference that can
be drawn from the Presidents speech
there is a further obstacle. When
England won the title mistress of
the seas" Japan was still begged down
in feudalism. Today Japan may or
may not be first class power, but
Japan does possess the third navy of
the world and is supreme in her own
waters. Moreover, she may be SUI
preme in the South China Sea to boot,
which is a question that can be de-
cided only by war with the U. S..
britain no longer is a naval power
in the Pacific)-if enough Americans
want to fight for the domination of
Borneo. One realistic bar to any ex-
tension of Atlantic patrols" to the
shooting stake has been the proba-
bility that it would take more than
the present Atlantic fleet to carry out
the mission. But to remove ships
from the Pacific would be to leave
open the path straight to the Indies
for Japan. Some have suggested that
it might be possible to hold a large
part of the fleet at some such inter-
mediate point as Panama ready to
move in either direction But even
this would leave the Administration
in an awkward dilemma should Japan
make a deal with the Soviet Union
China and start to move
south
Hemisphere
What emerges is the fact that free
dom of the seas" is not religion but
a practical matter of geography,
bases, ships, planes, supply lines, men
and vital interests The philosopher
Of Imperialism, Admiral Mahan him
SELF was well aware of these facts
despite his obsession for multiplying
he vital interests" Accordingly the
question which the President really
'aised was what interests of the U. S.
Are so vital to its continued existence
at its present living standards |
action might be justified to
protect them. Answers vary from the
of the U. S. proper, to the
luarterSphere of North America and
he Caribbean to the Western Hemis-
)here, and as much further as Senator
Peppers eye can see. The policy
which has the widest public support
S Hemisphere defense. And despite
he political, social and economic prob
ems it raises, the Hemisphere posi-
ion has basic justification in terms
f Hemisphere raw material require
nh
ated by Hemisphere naval and air
ower-which means u S. ships and
lanes. The only possible breach is
he bulge" of Brazil - ], 300 miles
rom Dakar. But an equitable ar
angement by which bases could be
uilt along the Brazilian coast would
enforce this one weak spot.
The strategy by which the Presi- S
ent suggested that Hemisphere de- I
ense might begin on the African con-
nent or in the Atlantic islands was
tenuous one. To say this is not
} say that potentially hostile Dakar
oes not threaten Brazil. 1t does :
ut occupation of Dakar, or the Cape !;
erdes, the Canaries or the Azores, :
ould only be laying the U. S. open =
, defeat in detail" The Cape :
erdes can be bombed from Dakar.
akar itself, which some of the Presi- 2
ents military advisers think we
ouldn't take now anyway, can be !,
)mbed from Spanish Rio de Orc, as ),
IN the Canaries. The Azores would y
} as difficult for the U. S. to hold :
Bermuda would be for Adolf Hitler.
or the President was right when he =
,served that Hitler could occupy :,
pain and Portugal whenever he =
ished to. AS for the northeastern :,
-enue of attack, the u S. already !.
IS assumed the defense of Green :,
nd - -
sgotiations n
The most difficult stories to con- y
m in Washington today are the per- :"
'tent rumors that preliminary peace =
ks are in progress in one or an :,
her of the worlds capitals Actual =
they cannot be confirmed. But s.
ey crop up in too many quarters to -
discounted. And they have been a. a.
opping up more abundantly in the ~ ~
eks since. Rudolf Hess made his =.
4rtling descent on Scotland. The a.
elk before last, administrative stall .io
TT Senator Tom Connally, who was -
applaud the Presidents speech so -
rmly, confessed that there was ~
'me peace talk going on" and went VI
to say that where the boundary
es were drawn in Europe was not sti
: business so long as England her no