Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-02-05

ana DINERS before the loltlBh
affairs committee of the Senate
reveals the perennial doubt that
Americans have of their political
Sagacity when dealing with
Europe. LaFoilette. former gov
ernor of Wisconsin. seems 10 think
that we are not bright enough to
take care of ourselves and OF our
own interests in any arrangements
that might be made with Great
Britain. Its the old mentality
that we had better keep away
from Europe because those poker
players will strip us. We are sun
lnnoccntS abroad.
THAT Is certainly the implica-
Il ton in LaFOllettc'S warning
that maybe "a new HeaFeHapa+
deal would he cooked up which
would find the British making a
separate peace on the best terms
to themselves and leaving the
United States TO prosecute the war
with all the world
Now. first of all. / can't follow
the connection between the Hoare-
Laval deal and the idea of Britain
making a separate peace on the
best terms for themselves. What
separate peace" did the Hoare-
Laval deal ratify? Neither Brit
ain nor France had any obligations
to Ethiopia, except under the
terms of the League of Nations
And the entire League of Nations,
of which Italy herself was a men,
Der. was driving Britain and
France to make a deal and not
10 60 to war over Ethiopia.
Does Mr.. LaFollette think that
France sboald have gone TO war
over Ethiopia And il he does,
does he think that the fall of the
British empire would be of less
consequence to the United States
than the fall of Ethiopia was TO
Britain and France?
I CONFESS l cannot follow this
sort of phony analogy. Nor do
| see the logic in claiming, first,
that Hitler will have his hands
full. and that II Is laughable TO
think that he Is going to embark
on the conquest of the Americas.
and. second. that if and when the
British can make separate peace
we shall be left alone ito prose-
cute the war with all the world.
Our about aid 10 Britain is ac-
companied by definite commit
ments of Britain to us regarding
the British fleet. It PfeSdppoSes Il
community of interests. That
community of interests exists; it
is real. / consists in a commu-
nifty of similar institutions, Of
SIMILAR attitudes regarding the
freedom of the seas; of an iden-
teal interest in protecting access
TO raw materialS-and almost all
of those necessary 10 Ameucar
industry are within the areas pro-
tected by the two fleets. and under
the sovereignty of Britain or the
Atlantic states that have come
under Hitler'S heel.
The proposal that we can best
protect that community of inter-
estS by letting Hitler win the war
and by letting the British Empire
be divided among Germany. Italy,
Russia and Japan, by letting B.it-
ain down because she may let us
down. adds up TO zero, as far as
l can see.
1t Is the psychology OF fear and
dlStruSt carried 10 It's utmost. II
YOU combine IL with the advice of
Senator Wheeler and of General
Wood that Britain should be
pushed by us into making a peace
and the advice of Senator Walsh
that after Britain has built fac
tories on our soil and the whole
country has made aid to Britain
fundamental policy, ratified by the
platforms of both political parties
and both candidates of those par
ties in the last election, we should
now abandon all aid. ii adds up to
saying that il is better TO trust
your enemies than ii Is your
friends.
And the net effect of this kind
of behavior would simply mean
that The whole world would CON
clude that the United States of
America Is country with which
no nation darcS 10 consider an
alliance.
In the days when we were the
largest and strongest single state
on earth we could afford 10 IN