Evening star., 1941-03-17

Jay franklin Dental election
of 1910, feeling that we would be
immobilized until after Roosevelt's
reelection. 1t is interesting to guess
what would have happened If the
Nazis had waited until September,
1910, instead of starting their war
a year earlier. For it is conceivable
that Roosevelt would have refused
to accept the third-term nominal
ton If there had been no Euro
pean war and that the United States
might have been really immobilized
in 194l by that political earthquake
known as "a change of administra-
ton" My own conclusion is that
Hltler'S nervousness induced him to
play the American angle 100 per
cent wrong. But then the Germans
were never very good at understands
ing our psychology.
In his effort to prevent our weight
from affecting his plans for world
conquest Hitler has tried the prin-
ciples Of the war on the nerves"
eliminating in the tri-partite pact
of September, 1910, which threatens
England's aid in Europe. He also
has been able to count on the cult
OF cowardice preached by a group of
publishers and Senators to frighten
us away from defense of our inter-
ests. But Americans don't scare
easily and the boogie- -boogie stuff
has worn pretty thin. Tricks which
were hot stuff at Munich in Sep
tember, 1888, are no longer work.
ing, and with the passage Of the
lease-lend bill Hitler lost the sec
ond round of his Battle to frighten
us out of our freedom and democ-
racy.
Create Tidal Currents.
Up to now the European war has
set up strong tidal currents in our
public life. We have been simply
one Of the major preoccupations OF
Nazi foreign policy. Now we, in
turn, are creating tidal currents Of
our own in Hitler's new Europe and
in Asia.
That Is the meaning Of the s7,oo0.-
ooO,OOO lease-lend appropriation. 1t
is magnet, pie counter and a life
preserver for many nations hitherto
overawed by German military might.
ms bill means that America is
going to say it with food and not
with flowers, with munitions and
not with orations, with a world
policy OF freedom and not with iso-
lation.
The first to come TO the counter
are the Irish. 1t is understood that
plans are being considered for the
Irish Free State to lease bases to
the United States in return for
weapons of defense and food. Un-
der the leaSe-lend law British craft
could use these bases and Ireland
would be free Of the fear that they
would be used, after the peace, for
the reconquest of Fire by the SAN
culinary SaXons. Not since Ireland
came into the last war under the
derby scheme which, as Punch"
put 1t, made conscription volun-
tary," has there been such an anus
ing Irish bull in world affairs.
Portugal May Follow.
Portugal also will likely follow
suit, with special facilities in the
Azores. frances Spain already is
drifting out of control OF the axis
and with food reaching her starving
population through the blockade,
under Anglo-American permission
1--WE loaned Argentina funds with
which to finance wheat exports to
SPAIN, our economic intervention
in the present world war is becom-
ing a grim reality to the Nazis.
Next in line are the unoccupied
French territories - particularly
Weygand's North Africa and Pc
tain's Vichy France. Here it is nee
essary to untangle the facts and to
associate our policy from the poll
tics Of blockade busting being urged
on Admiral Darlan by the pitiless
Nazis. If this can be worked out,
food will become a weapon which
can undermine Hitler's hungry Eu-
rope, without allowing essential mil
itary naterials-such as rubber, tin,
oil, copper. nickel, etc, to slip
through the Gordon of British
cruisers.
Then, perhaps, it will be possible
to detach ruined, desperate Italy
from the Nazi dance of death, and
so to turn against Hitler the "arti-
choke policy" Zone leaf at a time),
by which he has built up his starva-
ton empire. Thus we are beginning
to wage an offensive war on Hitler's
nerves and may find 1t politically
possible to destroy his power with
out ever firing a shot in anger
against his armed forces. We did
it before, and history has been
known to repeat itself