Evening star., 1942-06-05
Our New Enemies

1ilc 0CC1dI dGlOIl VI war against
Bulgaria, Hungary and Rumania,
voted unanimously and practically
without debate by Congress, is a
formal, if somewhat regretful, recog-
milton that these small European
nations are hopelessly committed by
their governments to the cause of
the greater Axis powers. They duti-
fully echoed their Axis masters by
declaring war upon us a few days
after Pearl Harbor, but the State
Department did not Immediately fol-
low suit until they had disregarded
warnings not to intensity their activ-
tiles against members of the United
Nations, especially Russia. The Pres
ident's request to Congress for a war
declaration against the trio seems
mainly due to desire to demon
strate our whole-hearted support for
Russia against Axis attack.
1t is interesting to observe that in
World War I we never declared war
against Bulgaria and Turkey, which
then occupied an analogous position
as minor satellites of the Central
Powers, Germany and Austria-Hun-
gary. There was then no similar
political motive requiring such action
on our part.
OF course, in neither war is there
any direct reason for hostilities be-
tween the United States and the
nations of Eastern Europe. America
and Americans have been generally
popular in all those lands, while
large-scale emigration from that
region to the United States has
created numberless personal bonds
between it and the New World. From
military point Of view, the recipro-
cal state Of war makes virtually no
difference, and all economic con-
facts long since have ceased. But
the fact that they are full-fedged
enemies of the United States may
make a big difference when the war
ends and their fate is before the
conference table.
Neither the American Government
nor the American public is disposed
to judge our new enemies too
harshly. 1t Is generally understood
that they are completely under Axis
domination and had to obey their
masters orders. The evidence like
wise is that even the governments
reluctantly furnish Germany with
the required quotas of foodstuffs
and cannon fodder, while the people
are predominantly hostile to those
sacrifices. At the same time, we
should realize that these peoples do
not think solely in terms of the Axis.
To HungarianS, for instance, Russia.
rather than Germany is the heredi-
tary enemy, and Magyar antagonism
to Russia has been intensified since
the former cZarist empire became
the Communist Union of Soviet So
cialist Republics. The Rumanians
have no traditional dislike of Russia,
but they fear Communism, and the
communication of BesSarabia and
BukoWina after the cession of those
provinces to the Soviet Union a year
and more ago has strengthened their
apprehension along that line. Bull
garia, on the other hand, is tradi-
tionally pro-Russian, no matter
what its form of government, and it
is significant that no Bulgarian
troops have been sent to the eastern
front. But Bulgaria yearns for
Macedonia and the Aegean coast line
of Thrace and felt that it could get
those provinces only by joining the
Axis against Greece and Yugoslavia.
These are the reasons why align
ment with the Axis was not wholly
repugnant to those three peoples,
though growing burdens and a du-
bious future, combined with Axis
tyranny, seem to be tingeing earlier
feelings of regretful necessity with
bitterness and hostility. Bulgaria,
Hungary and Rumania are all in a
tough spot, with little to hope for
and much to fear. We may chari-
tably regard them as more sinned
against than SHINING.