Evening star., 1941-01-02

NedQ man III Italy. OIlPE MuSSOllTl
a good, practical way to double cross
Hitler and it might be different
story. AS 1t was, the Fascist reply
to the Churchill appeal was to re-
peat the statement that Italy is
the prisoner of the Mediterranean"
and that the League Of Nations
sanctions" during the Ethiopian
War were a mortal insult to the
Italian people.
The next step was the attack upon
the British Pacific island of Nauru
by raider which few the japanese
flag. This is believed to have been
a Nazi ship and the purpose of the
raid-aside from the damage caused
seems to have been to cause
America to worry about the Pacific.
Since the triple alliance Of last sum-
mer between Germany, Italy and
Japan, it has been clear that Hitler
relied on American complications
with Japan to prevent our sending
effective aid to Britain. So far We
have not fallen for this game and
President Roosevelt has no inten-
ton Of doing so.
Roosevelt Hits at Appeasers.
The third development was the
Roosevelt flreside speech last Sum-
day. This was designed TO achieve
two purposes: First, to isolate and
render harmless the wealthy group
Of appeasers and pro-Nazis who
have been organizing for a big pub
licity campaign (modeled on the
Liberty League setup) to prevent
| aid to Britain. and second, to unity
public opinion behind a far more
aggressive program for defense and
support for the British in their war
/ against the dictators.
For some weeks there has been
a growing demand at Washington
that President Roosevelt should
give the country more leadership.
This demand was complicated by
the desire of a good many wealthy
and powerful groups that President
Roosevelt should create a defense
dictator, probably a businessman.
Generally speaking. the same group
who supported Willkie in the elec-
tion supported this plan. What also
made matters difficult for the Presi-
dent was the refusal of the lame
duck Congress to 60 home. Only
a handful of legislators were actu-
ally in Washington. but some busi-
ness could be transacted, and loud
est in their demands for action were
some of the worst licked and most
utterly discredited politicians in our
history. 1t was only when both Of
these forces had played themselves
out that the President believed that
the air had cleared sufficiently for
him to speak to a country which
would follow his leadership.
Sensation, Of the week was the
announcement Of the C. I. o. plan
to manufacture 500 airplanes a day.
This represents the best brains en-
gagged In the study of actual mass
production methods. 1t originated
with Philip Murray, the new C. I. o.
cairman, and was intrusted by him
to Thomas and Reuther of the
Automobile Workers Union. BY
this stroke Murray has restored TO
the c. I. o. the position of RESPONSE
BILE national leadership which It lost
when John L. Lewis went sour in
the spring of 1887.
White Resignation Possible.
Something to look out for is the
impending resignation of William
Allen White from the chairmanship
OF the Committee to Save America
by Aiding the Allies. Mr.. Whites
interview with the United Press
was the last straw. In this he
specifically repudiated the possibili-
ty that America might have to save
herself by entering the war and
rejected the plan of using American
naval vessels to convoy munitions
across the North Atlantic. Then he
turned around and repudiated his
own interview.
So far as the actual war is con-
cerned, the last week saw little i'm
portant change. Heavy SHOWS and
italian reinforcements checked the
Greek advance in Albania. The
Italian garrison in Bardia continued
to hold out, though surrounded by
the British, thus giving Graziani
time in which to organize his de-
fense further to the west in Libya.
German air raids and counter-raids
by the r. A. r. continued In the
Battle Of Britain. Germany used
the Christmas truce to rush troops
into Rumania for a possible drive
against Greece, Turkey or Russia
or to organize for a big spring at
tack In the Eastern Mediterranean.
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