The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-01-09
Economic . . .
Happenings That Affect the Dinner
Pals, Dividend Checks and Tax
Bills of Every Individual. National
and International Problems Insep-
arabic from Local Welfare.

1t is obvious that the purpose of
British strategy now is to eliminate
Italy as major belligerent in the
war. That thought unquestionably
underlay the recent British naval in
vasion of the Adriatic Sea-a body
of water which, on the basis of fight
ing ships and manpower, Italy should
be able to control with ease. England
is rapidly liquidating Italian military
Influence in Africa.
There seems to be little doubt that
Mussolini is on the down grade and
that the magnificent Fascist empire
he envisioned has small chance of be-
ing realized. II Duce has but two al
ternatives, both of them unpleasant
from his point of view-he must
either surrender to England, or ask
that Hitler save him. The first al
tentative is extremely unlikely Ger
many could not permit it without risk
ing tremendous loss of prestige. The
second alternative means German
domination of Italy The Italian peo-
pie, going by the judgment of the
best observers, will not like that, but
there will be little they can do about
it. Unconfirmed reports say that
Gestapo agents are already in Rome,
and it is known that the German air
force is conveying troops to Albania.
1t looks as if from now on Mussolini
will be only Hitler's stooge.
If England does succeed in elimin-
ating or greatly reducing Italian mill
tary and naval power, it will be
major victory. At the same time, it
will bring with it increased danger Of
a German attempt at invading Eng
land. The British blockade is extreme
ly effective, and the part of Europe
the Fuhrer controls is running short
of essential supplies. So, when
Churchill said the other day in Com
mons that he expected an all-out Ger
man attack within two months, he
was not talking through his hat. 1t
is the logical move for Hitler to make.
And the fact that the German air
force has substantially reduced the
intensity of it's raids over Britain also
leads to the belief that Germany is
preparing for a decisive blow against
England.
England is superbly prepared to re-
sist invasion, even though she is as
yet inadequately prepared to carry
the war to Germany on the Continent.
Expert opinion generally holds that
Hitler's great opportunity was direct
ly after the evacuation of Dunkirk-
that England coS.a.not have success
fully resisted a determined invasion
then. AT the present time, they think,
Britain has all she needs to keep an
aggressor from her shores.
Washington is more encouraged
concerning British chances of event
ually winning the war. Our future
policy will be to give England almost
she wants. There is little
doubt that the laws preventing loans
ito England will be repealed when her
|cash runs out.
The suggestion, recently made by
a British cabinet member, that the U.
IS. turn over to England, German and
Italian ships which are tied up in our
harbors, has caused a good deal of
excitement in Berlin. Nazi officials
say that that would be an act of war,
and would be regarded as such. So
far, our government has made no Of
fetal comment on the proposal.
England's greatest danger now is
destruction of her merchant shipping.
The British Isles are consumers, not
producers. Without ocean transport,
they could sustain themselves for only
a limited period of time. The Ger
man submarine and surface raider
attack has beer dangerously effective.
1t is likely that England will soon
tell us that she needs freighters even
more than she needs planes and guns
and other implements of war
The prOduction indexes continue TO