Evening star., 1941-04-27
Extension of /. S. Aid Efforts
Necessitated by Britain's Plight
Washington Worried by Fact England Herself May
Again Be Nazis' About Target, With
Possibility of Poison Gas
Br Constantine RrOWn.

The administration has pledged itself
to give all aid to Britain short OF war;"
both in the electoral platform and during
long discussions preceding the lease-lend
bill The people of the United States
have been led to believe that we can
avoid war at the price of $500, 900 900.
Hence. it would be a distinct breach OF
pledges if we were to go ahead and de-
clare war on the Reich without specific
provocation.
In the event of an unWarranted decla-
ration of war, it is believed in these
quarters that the agreement between the
axis and Japan would be put into effect
at once-whether the japanese wish it
Or not. This agreement provides, accord
ing to the best available information,
that Japan will declare war on any third
power which attacked Germany. But if
the Germans were guilty of provocation
by an incident" the japanese have an
escape clause which would permit them
to remain outside the conflict.
South Americas Position.
Finally, it is believed in the same high
quarters that a number of important
South American republics would imme-
diately declare war on the Reich if this
country were subjected to an aggression.
These same republics might think it over
twice in the event we are even nominally
the aggressors.
Thus, to summarize the conception OF
those who want to proceed cautiously in
the event of our declaring war on Ger
many without awaiting definite act of
aggression we would have to face war
on two ocean fronts and could not quite
count on the immediate and effective
support of our neighbors in the south.
The bulls" as the younger men are
frequently described, believe that such
policy would lead us to disaster, since
we will have to leave the initiative in
the hands of Herr Hitler. And one of
the keys to the German dictator's sue
cess is the fact that he has always had
the ve-diplomatically and mill
tarily-so far.
These younger men maintain it is
wrong to proceed in The present conflict
along the same Lusitania theories.
That was all right in the last war but
cannot be applied at the present time
Those who oppose Americas involve
ment in e war will nave the same argu-
ments, whether we can take the initia-
tive or not. The group which favors
keeping America out of the war will
say that the reason why they opposed
the lease-lend bill was not that it in
volved heavy financial expenditure
but because it provided a back door for
the administration to get us into war.
Hence the sinking of ships flying the
Stars and Stripes would no longer have
the same effect as in 1916. I'VE told
you So will be the inevitable outcry
of the non-interventionists.
Attitude of Japan.
The Government, the bulls" say,
should inquire as soon as possible in Toxic
what the attitude of the Japanese gov
ernment would be in the event that we
should get entangled with the Reich.
1t should be clearly indicated to Japan
that she cannot be acknowledgement. In
exchange for certain concessions in the
Far East she may prefer to remain
neutral with her fleet demobilized. But
in the event she is evasive or indicates
that the treaty with Germany compels
her to fight on Germany's side, the
United States has sufficiently large
force to Geal drastically with Japan in
comparatively short space of time.
And this is well known in Toxic.
The theory that some of the South
American republics would not follow
us if We were guilty" of aggression
is scoffed at by the interventionists.
The South Americans, like all the other
nations in the world, are impressed by
determination and force. And while they
might hesitate 10 risk the internal tram
guilty OF their countries by joining an
"aggreSsed" United States, they un-
doubtediy would hop on the bandwagon
if they saw that this country was not
afraid of the direst consequences.
But the chief argument of the i'm
mediate interventionists" is that we must
look facts in the face and must realize
that there is possibility of Britain's
going down, despite the succor offered