The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1941-07-10
Line Up Of Nations
In European War
Takes Old Pattern
BY LYLE HULL

whenever Europe really buc-
kles down to its normal business
WAR, there is just one thing
you can always be positive will
happen-and that is that the orr
ginal nations will not be the same
at the end as it was in the be-
ginning. (See Kindergarten His
tory) These peace-loving nations
Shift and change and squirm and
betray and the original purposes
OF their wars become lost in a
smother of new alliances, new OBJ
jectives and new slogans.
The unkindest feature of this
European habit is that it imposes
an additional mental effort upon
outsiders like us. How can we
interventionists and isolationists
be expected to follow all the new
lntricacies created by these shift
ing alliances, when we didn't
know what it was all about to be-
gin with? Now we have to guess
all over again before we start
'bawling each other out" and
there are number of pretty sure
guesses to contend with. Remem-
Der one thing, in working out this
intelligence quiz - whatever you
decide will be wrong. Now try to
figure out the results of the fol-
lowing possibilities!
First: Will the Germans at
tempt to take the Ukraine only,
or will they try to become mas
tiers of all Russia? Would this last
be possible? And if they took the
Ukraine only, and were able to
hold it, would this district be ca
pable of supplying the food de-
ficiency in Europe which the Bri-
fish blockade is causing?
Second: If Germany is able to
defeat the Russian army within
two months, or even less; will
that fact make an invasion of
England any more possible than
hitherto? Will not the delay, and
the subsequent demonstrating and
re-equipping of the German for
ces for this possible but impro-
bable eevnt, use up the summer
months - the only months in
which such an undertaking has
ever been considered humanity
possible? And by next summer
won't the armament odds of Ger
many over Britain be more even?
Third: Is there something deep
er in Germany's attack upon Rus
STA than the obvious need for adj
ditional food and oil supplies? Is
this attack a "cover up" for an
attempted invasion of England
by the hundred or more unem-
ployed divisions Of the Germany
army?
Fourth: Is there something ev-
en- more frightening than the wild
gamble of invasion? Is there a
powerful anti-Stalin group in
Russia, prepared and waiting up
on the signal to attempt a coupe
de 'ete to take over the govern
ment for the purpose of allying
Russia to Germany in one vast
military machine?
Fifth: Will Adolf and Joe beat
each others brains out and leave
the world in happiness and peace
so that Europe can prepare it.
self (and us) for it's next big war?
These are a few of the 100000
new problems which Hitler I'M
kindly thrust upon us when he
marched into Russia. Take your
pick of one and think it
through" One guess is as bad as
the next. Hitler himself is doubt
less doing a lot Of guessing and
let us hope he will not always be
right. But whatever we do as a
nation - eventually let us wait
awhile and see which way the cat
jumps. We can always declare
war-but it is difficult to "unde-
clare" it. Let us hold back our
trump card as long as we can
and maybe, God willing, we will
never have to play it.