The Wrangell sentinel., 1941-11-14
By Morgan !. Beatty tBy Associated #Press)


 WASHINGTON = To Americans the Reuben James is tragic hulk lying on the floor of the North At lantie ocean, but to Adolf Hitler and his strategists, the destroyer is a live pawn of immense strategic value in the world-flung mosaic Of war.
 That's the considered opinion of observers here.
 The principal value of the sinking to Hitler is the sibility-conced- ed on all sides that it brings us closer to an actual declaration of war.
 A declaration of war on our part should help Hitler now. It should help him next Spring. It should help him more than any stategy he could possibly plan and carry out himself
 4 declaration would impose on the President the pressing duty of con- serving all defense materials for the use of our own naval and military forces.
 This means the President might have to cut down lend-lease aid to the British, the Chinese and the Russians. If he failed to do this he would be running dangerous risks. Suppose, for instance, that We should declare war. and our forces should suffer reYerses. The cry would go up that We had sent our weapons to other nations and left our own men helpless against the enemy Whether the charge would be accurate is beside the point.
 Consider also the fact that most military observers are leaning to the l belief that Hitler cannot annfhilate the Russian armies this Winter He'll have to carry on until Spring. l and then try to deliver the coup del grace he supposedly held poised a l few weeks ago when he told the world the Russian armies were whip ped Joseph Goebbels, the German propaganda chief, bears out the strategists. He has officially notified the German people they can expect another tough winter.
 If the United States should de-5 clare war on Hitler at this time, and lend-lease aid should be shut off, the very shot in the arm theI Russians need for next Spring might be denied them. Hitler would them still have tremendous advantagel when action started alter the thaw.
 But there is another strategic req ho h-Y ,sI a live pawn in Hitler's hands.
 The sinking of the destroyer im- poses on the United States NavyI chiefs the duty Of tightening up our forces protecting our conveys to Ice land. They must keep intact the fleet they now have in the Atlantic. | They might even be tempted tol withdraw ships from the Pacific.
 If we lower the strength of ourl Pacific fleet, the Japanese might be encouraged to strike a blow at Rus sia's rear. Yladiyostok is their dear-l est desire. It's a knife pointed atl Tokyo. Or, if the Japanese should strike at Singapore, We would haYel a two-ocean war on our hands with only one-ocean navy to fight 1t.
 Doubtless a declaration of war byl the United States at this time would haye-from the standpoint of ourI defense effort-some advantages. Al people at war are usually a united people Strikes, discord, debate arel usually forgotten. Whatever theI course ahead, the majority usually follows that course to the bitter end
 But that's another matter, a dom estic matter for the President and the Congress to decide hey will have to weigh both advantages and disadvantages decide also what the American public wants to do at this moment.
 But regardless of the domestic as poets of the case, an actual declara- tion of war by the United States now would be more help than hindrance to the Nazi dictator-hoWever much hindrance We should generate later on.