Evening star., 1941-03-03

one land which wouldn't let them
down, how they counted on Amer
ican medical supplies, food and ma
terials and how grateful they were
for aid of any degree, however long
it might have been in arriving. I
remember the anxious, eager ques-
ton of several Norwegians during
the first days of the German occu-
patton of Oslo: What is America
going to do?"
Faith Remains Unshaken.
That seemed a foolish question.
After all, what could America do
in a hurry, at any rate? But they
asked the question. Why? Be-
cause every Scandinavian, from the
depths of his being, believed that
the people of the United States are
incapable of remaining Indifferent
to two things. They believed that
Americans, more than any other
people on earth, are incapable of
shutting their hearts to human suf-
fering and misery. They believed,
and still believe just as firmly. that
Americans are incapable Of remain
ing indifferent to the destruction Of
freedom and parliamentary gov
ernment among nations, large or
small, which had always shared
these privileges with them.
think you will understand the
difference between these two con-
victions and a badly egotistical as
sumption that they expect Ameri-
cans to go over and fight their war
for them" These universally preva-
lent European convictions spring
chiefly from spiritual conception
of America, of what America repre-
sents, of the much discussed Amer
ican way of life. Maybe that's our
hard luck. Maybe that puts some
pretty terrible responsibilities upon
uS-at least in the eyes of all those
peoples who have sent their sons
and daughters to help make Amer
lea great. But the fact remains that
the common men and women of
Europe, the voiceless millions, got
this conception of America from an
acute understanding of all that
America has been, done and stood
for throughout our history. If they
are mistaken or if we have changed
we can't blame them. For them
America has always meant hope and
freedom-and today she still means
hope and freedom to them.
This is one angle from which
Europeans, for more than 160 years,
have consistently looked at Amer
ica. 1t Is moral angle-which
makes it rather uncomfortable
Once during the late 1920s the
European peoples began to have
grave doubts. I lived among them
then and know whereof I speak
For the first time they had grave
doubts and much disillusionment
and then, If I remember correctly
most Americans felt a great deal oi
resentment over the changing Euro
pean attitude toward us. But we
lost an awful lot of money, and
maybe as much pride, and soor
Europe's people thought we were
Just what they had always thought
we were-a great people with g
great heart and conscience pecu-
| liarly sensitive to the moral value:
Of the world. Perhaps that's a;
embarrassing for us as it is for g
very human young man to be de-
scribed to every one within earShot
as model son. But there it is
The worlds masses simply expect
Americans to be big and open
hearted and immovably dedicated
to government of the people, by
the people and for the people"
Confident of British Victory.
Europeans today still take these
things for granted, but among those
millions who are now enslaved by
Hitler or exist at the mercy of the
Nazi creed there is another convic-
tion. The overwhelming majority
of European peoples, whether ir
Finland and the Scandinavians OF
throughout Central and Southeast
ern Europe, are absolutely convinced
that the United States cannot per.
nit Britain and the last non-A Amer.
ican strongholds of parliamentary
government to be destroyed by Hit
Ter. They believe, blindly but from
bitter personal experience, that tht
United States-from it's own self.
interest-cannot conceivably permit
the British people to be defeated.
This is why the vast majority o.
northern and Balkan peoples, how.
ever tightly underneath Hitler's in
step they are now compelled to live
still believe with a surprising con-
fidence that Britain and her allie!