Evening star., 1941-09-10
Member of the Associated Press.
Hitler Must Choose

There is a significant similarity in
thought between one excerpt from
Winston Churchill's address to the
House Of Commons and the comment
of an authorized NaZi spokesman on
the sinking of the American freight
er, Steel Seafarer, in the Red Sea.
Mr.. Churchill, after asserting that
Hitler probably would prefer to finish
his fight with the British and Rus
slams before taking action calcu-
lated to result in war with the
United States, pointed out, however,
that Der Fuehrer is on the horns Of
what for him must be a very serious
dilemma. The German tactics, he
said, may change, for Hitler has the
greatest possible need to prevent
precious munitions supplies now
streaming across the Atlantic from
reaching British shores. Should he
exert maximum effort to stop them,
the area of danger zones again will
become ocean wide.
Between this paraphrase of Mr..
Churchill'S statement and the COM
ment of the Nazi spokesman that
the sinking of the Seafarer, presum-
ably by a German bomber, should
occasion no surprise, there is little
essential difference. Both add up to
the conclusion that Hitler finally has
decided that he must take risks
even to the sinking of American
ships-in the effort to prevent sup
plies from this country reaching his
active enemies on the fighting fronts.
Nor is this to be limited to the Red
Sea, as Is plainly shown by the U. S. S.
Greer's clash with Nazi submarine
and the newly disclosed torpedoing
last month of the steamer Sessa 300
miles southwest of Iceland. The
SeSsa was under Panamanian regis
try, but was in the service of New
York firm, and carrying military
supplies to the government Of Ice
land, when she met her doom.
These incidents do not yet add up
to an all out" German attack on
American shipping. but, taken to-
gether, they seem to be of great i'm
portance as indicative of the present
temper of the Nazi high command.
Certainly, when two merchant ships
have been sunk and one of our de-
stroyers attacked within period of
three weeks, it is only reasonable to
conclude that the Germans believe
that the volume of American made
war supplies reaching their enemies
directly or indirectly is assuming
sufficient Importance to justify them
In incurring grave risks by endeavor-
ing to disrupt the supply lines.
If that assumption be correct, 1t
is only logical sequel to our avowed
policy of building in American fac
tories the war materials with which
Hitlerism is to be beaten and inSuring
their safe delivery to the fighting
fronts. Inevitably, in the pursuit of
that deliberately chosen policy, there
must come a time when Hitler de-
cides that the risks for him of letting
the supplies go through is greater
than the risks Of sinking American
ships, wherever they may be found
on the high seas,
In the light of current develop
ments, it seems quite possible that he
has decided or soon will decide to
adopt the latter alternative. In that
event, it becomes of immediate i'm
portance for this Government to
decide what its reply will be, and it
Is to this question, presumably, that
the President will address himself
tomorrow night in speech which
we'll may be one of the most mo-
mentous in the history of this
troubled world.