Evening star., 1942-10-20
West African Front?

West African Front?
The landing of large American
forces in Liberia. reported from
London and embellished by Berlin,
though not yet officially confirmed
from Washington, is merely one of a
series OF recent news items which
indicate that West Africa may soon
make the front page.
For some time it has been known
that American supply and tech
nical units have been establishing
bases in the equatorial regions of
Africa, to facilitate the transport of
planes and equipment across the
Dark Continent from it's Atlantic
coasts to the Near and Middle East.
Heretofore these bases have been in
the British colonies, together with
the Belgian Congo and the French
possessions controlled by the Fight
ing French regime Of General de
Gaulle. That Liberia should be
added to the list is not surprising.
This Negro republic, established
ninety-flve years ago through the
backing Of an American philan-
thropic society by groups of freed
slaves from our Southern States, has
always retained our benevolent in
terest and in recent years has been
economically developed by the rub
Der plantations established by the
Firestone corporation. With 'front.'
age of nearly 800 miles along the
southern end of the bulge of Africa
opposite Brazil, and adjoining the
British colony Of Sierra Leone,
Liberia is an important addition to
the strategic steppingstones of the
United Nations which extend from
British Gambia, only 100 miles from
Dakar, to the Belgian Congo. Under
American control, 1t will facilitate
protective measures against the Axis
U-boat campaign which is being
waged on Allied shipping off West
Africa, and will furnish additional
air bases.
The intriguing question is whether
these United Nations footholds are
merely defensive in character or
whether they denote measures
against Vichy French rule in West
Africa. 1t should be remembered
that Britain's West African colonies
and Liberia are mere enclaves set
against solid block of French ter
rltory which not only occupies the
entire hlnterland but reaches the sea
between them. Gambia, for in
stance, though situated hear Dakar,
the seat of French colonial power in
West Africa, is mere ribbon of land
surrounded on all sides by French
soil. Presumably, in case of hos
tilities, it could be quickly overrun.
Sierra Leone, farther south, is prob
ably large enough to Withstand
sudden attack. The British Gold
Coast is larger still, while Nigeria,
in the bend of the Gulf of Guinea,
is miniature empire in itself, and
is likewise bulwark between Vichy
territory and the Fighting French
colonies of Equatorial Africa.
Axis radio stations are insistent
that the United Nations mediate a
stroke at Dakar, and Vichy pro-
claims loudly that any such attack
would be strenuously resisted by the
large French garrison and fleet
there assembled for it's defense. The
current visit to London of General
SHUTS, Prime Minister of the South
African Union, has quickened specu-
lation on both sides of the English
Channel. General SHUTS is known
to be proponent of vigorous action
throughout Africa, and the British
press is commenting pointedly on
the significance of his conferences
with Winston Churchill. The Lon
don Sunday Express goes so far as to
say: Africa is uneasy, the lull is not
likely to last, and when at any
moment the fight flares into vio-
lence, one of the decisive battles of
history may begin. Africa, north
and west, may clearly become the
stage of tremendous issues"
OF course, as above indicated, de-
velopments in West Africa are closely
tied up with the North African sit
uation. The week-old bombing Of
Malta by the Axis is sure indica-
ton that heavy Axis conveys are
crossing the Mediterranean to re-
enforce Marshal Rommel, who still
stands on the Egyptian border.
Autumn Is the ideal fighting season
In North Africa. # it starts thsre,
West Africa may well be involved.
/ In the earlv dayS Of the war Hit