Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-04-14
Nazi Success
In Balkans
JoI+s Capital
3-5 Year War Centering
in Mediterranean Seen
By PAUL MALLON

WASHINGTON. April a.
w The big battle of the war is
in the making in the Mediter-
ranean. What started out as
half a dozen side shows is likely
TO become the main event.
The Germans have now slipped
at least 100000 troops including
five motorized and mechanized
divisions into Libya alongside
100000 Italians TO strike for the
Suez. Trusted information
picked up by our official scouts
abroad indicates a German
squeeze on Gibraltar is apt TO
be attempted simultaneously.
A number of IA and l6-inch
guns the naval type now used
by the Nazis on the English
Channel shore) are ready to be
shipped into Spain to be set up
on either side of the British
fortress. and on, the oppotite
African shore. These guns will
shoot 20 miles and could con-
ceivably close this outlet of the
Mediterranean without the fall
of the British fortress on the
Rock.
CAPTURE of Salonika Will
" now permit Nazi air rein
forcement of Rhodes. where the
Italians have been cut off for
months. From there bombers
can operate easily upon the Suez
which is now running at only
fraction of its efficiency due to
ships already sunk in the chan
mel by bombings "a million
dollars worth of British Red
Cross supplies is in one of these
ships on the bottom)
Skirting Turkey. as a conces-
sion to Russia. the Nazis then
could reach for Syria, Iraq' and
the Mosul oil fields. and even
sponsor revolution in India
The British Mediterranean
feet is, therefore, in danger at
both the front and back doors
which are now within sight OF
the Hun hordes.
THIS sudden turn Of events
L furnished the inspiration for
Mr.. Roosevelt's decision to con-
slider Egypt tSmilingly) as
neutral. so he could open up the
Suez to Port Said for American
ships.
The little legalistic twist thus
administered by the President is
considered by some authorities
here the most significant step
this country has yet taken in
the war. There. they say. is
where we are likely 10 meet the
Germans first. We will soon be
producing 10 to 20 light and
medium tanks a day. The British
could use them in Egypt at
once.
The jolt of the German sue
cesSes in the Balkans has shaken
all American officialdom into a
more realistic realization of the
job IL has cut out for itself As
long as the Germans were
stopped at the channel. authori-
ties here. ffikr many citizens
outside. were lulled into a false
sense of well-being. Now all can
readily see the war can last
three TO five years and involve
all remaining free nations in an
all-out struggle.
Few officials in their CONVEX
sation refer to direct American
participation as an fifty proba-
bility They frankly call the
present "a transition period to
full belligerency
CONGRESSIONAL national
y lists. like Senator Wheeler.
coming back from travels about
the country. claim a cooling off
tendency is notable among the
people. but there is no cooling
off here.
Events rather than hopes heat
the issue ever hotter and hotter.
FDR is really planning to
establish b asses in Greenland.
These will be used not only for
patrol ships but as stopoffs TO
shorten the hops for planes TO
England via Iceland. -
Colonel Lindbergh does not
think much of this idea either.
He made commercial survey
Of Greenland's air possibilities
some years ago and has told
senators the landing areas are
bad and the fogs worse. He calls
it the>~0rStsSy route to Europe.
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