The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-08-23

point out, is a spot on the map that
it behooves Uncle Sam to keep a
sharp eye on, with a view to his
own good, and to their own repub-
lies good also-the latter con-
sideration perhaps being what they
have in mind principally.
Well. Uncle Samuel has his BIZ
noculars turned Dakarward. all
right. Presumably it was one of
the places President Roosevelt and
Prime Minister Churchill discussed
at their recent ocean conferences.
I don't think the average Yam
kee ever heard CT Dakar until after
the present war started, but the
South American east coast knew
all about it, because it's so near to
that waterfront. Today we North
Americans know about It, too; it's
figured so much, at least by name,
in the news lately.
However, maybe a few words
concerning it wouldn't be malapro-
pos, for the benefit OF the few
readers who, possibly, haven't
bothered to locate it on their
aliases.
It's a port on French colonial
soil in Africa, just where the Dark
Continent bulges farthest to the
westward into the Atlantic. In the
western hemisphere and consider
ably south, the South American
continent bulges to the eastward.
At its extreme bulge is the Brazil
ian port Of Pernambuco, likewise
called Recife.
It's a comparatively short dag
onal hop from Dakar to Pernam-
buco-about as far as from New
York to Omaha.
BY Plane and Parachute
Now, it's no news that the Nazis
want to horn into Latin America.
Not having mitch sea strength,
they need a narrow stretch OF
ocean to cross, to land 'em there.
Dakar- Pernambuco is IT. 1t could
even be done by plane and para
cnute. And if Herr Hitler gets the
French navy he might be able to
make himself pretty troublesome
on the watery surface Of the bot
tleneck. True, we and the British
have navies Of our own, but they're
tolerably busy elsewhere.
Adolfs few submarines and raid
ers, French feet; parachutists and
all unquestionably couldn't put
over a large scale invasion of
South America at the present
writing.
The Fuehrer's evident scheme,
though, is to precede his SMALL
scale invasion by stirring up an
epidemic OF. Latin-American revo-
lutions, getting Quisling govern
ments into power to welcome his
parachutists. The existing Latin
American governments naturally
don't fancy being revoluted into
the discard. Uncle Sans delight
led to observe that they're taking
drastic steps to prevent IL We've
had SOME Latin-American friends
all along. but predominently don't
think the southern folk have overly
liked us. Furthermore. I don't
blame 'em. Manys the time we've
been very tactless with 'em In the
past But apparently they think
we're preferable to what Herr Hit
Ter would be; they want HIM
headed off.
And Dakar's the springboard
he's likeliest to bounce at 'em from.
That has been recognized from
the first, but today it's a more
acute consideration than ever, be-
cause Of Vichy Frances complete
acquiesence in his programmed
Dakar is vichy Frances. Maybe
Adolf will get the vichy feet, too,
making 1t all the worse.
Those Strategic Islands
Portugals Cape Verde and
Azores Islands or Spain's Canaries
would be as satisfactory to the
Fuehrer as Dakar, as taking-off
places for Latin America. but