Evening star., 1941-06-22

AS the war enters its second summer,
with the grim prospect of a third winter
Of hostilities looming over the horizon,
the chances of an early peace seem
steadily to dwindle. On both sides, the
trend of policy and planning is toward
extension rather than cessation of fight
ing.
With the conquest of Crete, and the
Initiation of an active pro-Nazi policy
on the part of the French government,
the German domination of continental
Europe has become complete. Over this
entire territory Hitlers new order" is
now Professionally in being
1t is somewhat affected, but not seri
ously hampered, by British opposition
no longer control-in the Mediterranean.
When the capture of Crete showed that
air power can now successfully challenge
sea power the British hold on this inland
sea became precarious. Axis control
there will strengthen if Vichy collabo-
rates increasingly with Berlin.
Except for one vital factor, the war
would probably now be drawing toward
some sort of conclusion. In spite of the
ferocity of attack, Germany has not been
able to overcome the heroic British re-
sistance at the seat of empire. But, on
the other hand, the British have utterly
failed to check German striking power
wherever it has been eXerted in Europe.
U. S. Policy Bars Appeasement.
Except for the increasingly active in
tervention of the United States, there
is little doubt that this situation would
soon or late lead to stalemate and
negotiated peace between Great Britain
and Germany, preserving the empire of
the former but confirming the European
hegemony of the latter.
This coldly factual analysis suggests
that the policy of the United States now
operates to check the growth of zap
peaSement" sentiment in Britain and by
the same token prevents confirmation of
the subjection of Europe to Nazi domi-
nation. That, at least. is the habitual
'off the record conclusion in Wash
ington.
This situation indicates that it was
merely the first chaper of the war to
which inis was written when the British
were driven from their last foothold on
the continent of Europe. The chapter
which has closed was European. That
now opening will not be so circumScribed.
Already, both in the British attack on
the French mandate of Syria, and in
the deliberate and impenitent German
sinking of an American merchant ship
in the South Atlantic, there are in
dications that the war from now on
will be literally as well as potentially
a world conflict. And this would mean
that the part which has so far elapsed
Is more nearly the preface than the
whole story. In the words of Secretary
Stimson, there is "a very strong pos
sibility" of a long war, counting from
now on.
Russian Aid Reluctant.
1t is in this setting that the present
uneasy relations between Germany and
Russia should be visualized Much as
Great Britain, in order to continue
fighting, must rely more and more on
the resources of the United States, so
Germany, If the war is to drag on in
definitely, must be able to count on
efficient exploitation of the undeveloped
wealth of Russia.
The essential difference is that
American aid, at least to the extent that
it remains short of man power, is given
gladly and Fundamentally to Britain.
Russian aid to Germany, on the other
hand, is reluctant and fearful. Further
more, it is as dribbling and uncertain
as that from the United States to Brit
ain promises to be copious and reliable.
These contrasts help to explain why
Russia as the potential arsenal of the
relationships, is today in mortal danger
of German invasion.
The precariOuS position of Russia is
further emphasized, though indirectly,
by very important study entitled "Nazi
Europe and World Trade" just published
in Washington by the Brookings In
stitution.
This privately endowed research Or
eanization has to its credit long list
OF factual studies on economic and po-
litical problems. There is no edito-
realization in the authoritative data