Evening star., 1941-05-11
Eliot Fears Britain Will Lose
Ship Safety Margin This Year
Dire Consequences Can Be Prevented
Only by Drastic u S. Action, He Says

longer be supported. the progressive
weakening of the British fleet by
attrition in increasingly desperate
efforts to keep the sea lanes OPEN
AS British fighting strength fell
off Axis efforts would become more
efficient and more vigorous, as Brit
ish outposts were abandoned more
and more Axis forces would be
available for the main theater, as
the Axis power extended geo.
graphically more and more areas
would become dangerous for British
shipping.
1t is in the light of this prospect
that we should examine the figures
affecting this shipping problem.
Not all of them are, nor can be,
available to the public; but the basic
figures ought to be made public, with
official Authorization, at the ear
liest possible moment. The Amer
lean people ought to be told the
magnitude of the task to which
they are asked to set their hands.
They will not be daunted by known
and measured difficulties. rather
they will be inspired by them.
They will not recoil from the de-
featist phrase, 1T can't be done"
in the face of actual specifications:
they are impressed by it only be-
cause it is applied to vague gen.
erality beclouded in rumor and
conflicting assertions. Tell the
American people that We cannot
"save England" and some of them
may believe it; tell them that it
will take certain specified naval and
air action, plus the provision OF
TX" thousand tons of new ship
ping by January. 1912, to save Eng
land, and that these specific things
can't be done, and they will reply,
who says so?" and proceed to do
them. But the information must
nos only be precise, it must be de-
tailed.
For example, let us suppose that
the workmen of certain plant in
Cleveland, Ohio, have put in so
hard working days in producing a
certain shipment of airplane parts
and that this shipment has been
sunk at sea in the steamship Tus-
carora by a German U-boat. The
full details of this action should be
played up in every Cleveland news
paper as soon as it is known. If
the U-boat is identified and is sub
sequently sunk that fact should also
be presented. We ought to know
just where we stand from day to
day.
Inspiration for Americans.
The time has come when the
standards of the last war must be
laid aside. The Germans know what
their submarines and aircraft are
doing; such small additional infor-
nation as they might gain from full
publicity by our side would weigh for
little as against the inspiring of the
American people to an all-out effort.
The Germans likewise know when
q submarine of theirs is overdue
land must be presumed lost" The
moral effect of grim silence, of not
really knowing what has happened,
may be valuable, but much more
valuable will be the fierce inspira-
ton that will come to American
hearts as they hear that another OF
the marauders has been sent to
rest forever in the ooze of the
ocean bottom.
1t is time for a complete reconsid-
GRAFTON of basic policy by those in
Washington and particularly in
London who control the sources of
information on all matters con-
nected with shipping. There has
been altogether too much conceal
ment, too much treatment of our
people as children who might be
shocked by the rough impact of the
truth. 1t is time that the American
people were taken into the con-
fidence of their Government, and