Evening star., 1941-09-02

Continued From First Page)
Ter needs vast quantities of every
raw material as he prepares to
build trans Atlantic bomberS against
American industry and score OF
monster Bismarcks.
According to the most important
air manufacturer in Germany the
long-range bombers are already per-
fected and only need to be put into
mass production. I'VE have bombers
that can fly to New York in seven
hours with a full bomb load" this
individual said to me. only, of
course. you Americans will prefer
peace"
Hitler's plans for the invasion of
Russia were laid the day he realized
that the invasion of Britain was
likely to prove impossible and they
have been no secret to informed
quarters. He began to mass troops
along the Russian frontiers early
last winter.
Churchill Knew of Plan.
This correspondent, after talking
with important. if indiscreet, Ger
mans and Italians in Rome, wrote
then that he had made this move:
% To blackmail the Russians into
giving him raw materials and diplo-
matte aid against the Balkans and
Middle Eastern countries and 90
for the invasion of Russia if the
attitude of Britain and America
made that both desirable and pos
sibIe. 1 was threatened with ex-
pulsion from Italy-by Berlin, not
| by Rome-unless I dropped these
articles.
| I learned in March that Churchill,
who had all along been fully in
formed of the German plan against
Russia. actually knew the approx
mate date for the invasion three
months later. The British Prime
Minister told a friend of mine in
March that his plans were based on
a German invasion of Russia about
the end of June"
I learned from Nazi sources in
/ April-Lisbon was spluttering with
| GeTmans-that Hitler's invasion
depended largely on whether Amer
| ica entered the war. If America
came in Hitler would need all avail
| able troops and airplanes to prevent
a joint Anglo-American operation
the cruX would have been American
aircraft carriers and planes-from
| driving the Germans out of Africa
and the Middle East. Hitler knew
| from his fifth column spies that
America was already Woefully di-
vided and that there was no ques-
ton of her entering the war before
he could carry out his campaign
against the Russians.
His final irrevocable order to his
generals-drafted. of course, by the
| generals themselves was issued
June /. This correspondent on June
4 reported the decision to invade
Russia and later by way of am
plif1cation explained that no de-
mandS would be made to Stain and
no concessions accepted.
incidentally and parenthetically,
1 learned in London that Stain
wouldn't heed Churchills warning.
Stain thought that there was no
danger of his being invaded unless
and until Hitler faced him with
| demands. The Communist thought
the democrat was selling him cap
| ltallStic pup-or thought so until he
was invaded without warning.
TY,y,
informed his puppets-Mussolini
! Franco and Darlan-of the invasion
scheme. They were to whoop it up
as holy war" to save the world
from Communism and they were to
use their influence, if possible, to
win the support of the Catholic
Church. To the Vatican itself Hit
Ter offered the opportunity of send
ing missionaries along with his
| panZer divisions.
The invasion Of Russia, under
taken in order to prepare the final
showdown with America, can prove
the most costly of Hitler's blunders.
That depends on whether America
and Britain exploit the situation
that offers itself. Hitler was con-
fident on the basis of fifth column
reports in America that neither
democracy could act. The Ameri-
can public is not prepared, Hitler
believes, to send aircraft carriers
and divisions into the Mediter-
ranean zone to forestall Hitler's own
consequent conquest of Africa.
Without American help the British
are spread too thin.
Russia has surprised the world,
| however. Nationalism proved as
cohesive a force as Communism
when the foreigner invaded Little
Mother, Holy Russiap 1t may we'll
be that Soviet resistance will con-
tinue until November, when weather
conditions would begin to work
! against the Germans. That was
the basis of the agreement between
Roosevelt and Churchill when they
promised aid to the Russians.
fCopyright 1a4I by Chicago Daily Neys)