The Wilmington morning star., 1941-01-02
BY PEGLER

BY WESIBROOh PEGLER
NEW YORK, Jan. 1.-Presiden
Roosevelt's speech recognizing tn.
enemies of the United States might
have been made with equal truth
a year ago, but the election de-
layed things, and, anyway, it is
good to have it in the record now.
Now the Nazis and the japanese
understand us, but, more impor.
tant, the people of this country
know where they stand. From the
very beginning there has never
been an hour when there was any
doubt as to the right or wrong of
the conflict or the guilt of the
criminal nation. The Nazis under
Hitler have repeatedly proclaimed
themselves the chosen people, with
a mission to conquer the world and
reduce their racial interiors very.
where to Vie status of slaves, and
their press, in ar unguarded mo.
ment of wrath, once threatened to
take an interest in the internal at.
fairs of this country which would
not be pleasant to Americans.
They r now we'll advanced on
their mission of world domination.
and their interest in American af.
fairs has been felt in many ways,
particularly through the anti
American bund, which has had the
effrontery to hold military exer.
cises in this country after the fash.
ion which was so successful in
Austria and Czechoslovakia, This
bund, Of course, is an agency of
the Nazi government and an in.
formal army Of invasion.
Sugar-Coated Issue
This is not a fireside chat on
war; it is a talk on national Sc
curity," the President said, out
within a few minutes he had taken
from Adolf Hitler's own speech, de-
livered only three weeks ago, the
words in which the fuehrer reject
ed any possibility of peaceful re-
lations between the American phil
osophy of government and Nazi-
ism. So, although Mr.. Roosevelt
sugar-coated the bitter issue of
war with a more palatable phrase,
the fact remains that he recog-
nized the inevitability of a show
down between the United States
and Germany should Britain lose
in Europe.
Those who attempt to deny or
obscure this truth offer nothing but
a blurry hope that a victorious
Axis would then be content with
it's gains and would discover, after
all, some means by which Hitler
could be induced to live in peace
with that world with which he late
ly said Germany never could be
reconciled.
Charles Lindbergh, in his strong
est effort to delude the country
from which he willingly exiled him
self, dealt only with material
things and did not list in the in
ventory of the heritage which he
would like to hand on to his chill
dren any of the qualities which dis
tinguish the United States from
Germany. This is all right for
him. He is a cold fish, anyway.
Senator Burt Wheeler has mere
ly insisted that the United States
has no quarrel with Hitler, when
it is plain that Hitler makes the
quarrel. Neither of these, nor any
other prominent opponent of aid
for the British, has offered the
slightest basis for security or
peace should Britain fall, except,
ct course. acceptance of Hitler's
way, which would revoke every,
thing that Americanism is.
Meanwhile what do these men
and others like them think the
Nazis would be doing in the United
States-the Nazis who sent hordes
of civilian tourists into Rumania
and Norway who suddenly put on
brassards and were soldiers? How
many such German guests would
be needed to seize the armories,
power plants and broadcasting sta
tons in the key cities of a trusting,
unframed, alarmed and generally
fabby United States? And which
course is wiser-to fight a war
later on two sides alone against
a triumphal Axis or, by a strong,
national effort nov, provide that
help which may enable the British
and Greece and, perhaps, a re-
vlved France to beat Hitler in this
one?
This is the first time that the
whole United States has examined
the German actions in this war
and frankly looked at the declared
belief of the Germans that they
are actually the chosen people,
with a mission to rule their in
%feriors, including that m ongrel
breed, the Americans. Hitherto all
expressions. though sometimes
sharp, have been couched in gen.
eral terms. and a pretense at least
OF international amenity has been
maintained.
Nothing that the President said
has impaired good relations with
any friendly power, for the powers
OF the Axis have been anti-Ameri-
can since long before the war and
the Official press of Italy has been
openly biting the American ma
ton and its people for four years
as the official policy of the Duce.
The speech disnels all q ouht