Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1942-03-05
Fact And Opinion
And Nothing But the Truth.
BY E. C. Stengelsen.

I'm beginning vaguely to forsee one
horrible result of our participation
in the war: Our leaders may find
themselves forced to abandon all pre-
viously conceived notions about the
probably disastrous consequences
which would follow such a policy,
and to tell us the truth, the whole
truth and nothing but the truth.
We might begin by telling the truth
about the aid we have given Russia.
We would in such case admit that,
quite the contrary of the impression
we have sought to create, it has been
even less than trickle.
But full statement of the facts
would also disclose that it was not
due, either to a lack of will or to
ineffciency, but to causes over which
we had little control. We were SIM
ply up against the impossible. Of
the four major routes once avail
able to us, two were wholly closed
Murmansk and Vladivostok - and
Archangel practically closed, leav-
ing only the highly doubtful route
along narrow-gauge railway enter
ing Russia from the south through
British-held Iraq and Iran. To this
we might add our serious lack of
shipping and the submarine-infested
waters through which our vessels
must pass.
That the Russians have relied but
little on the lend-lease help from
us was indicated in a remark Stain
made the other day-"Germany has
allies who are fighting beside her;
Russia stands alone"
We might thereupon give the facts
concerning the help we have given
China via the Burma road Such
reports as are available to the public
are vague and contradictory; but at
least one had it that it has not
amounted to more than few thou
sand tons month. And, obviously,
such a trickle would not 60 far
toward maintaining in the field a
Chinese army of couple of million
men. Remember the vast amount of
shipping that was needed to carry
munitions and supplies to our troops
in France during the World war.
| Truth would likewise require us
to admit that except for her navy,
Britain is liability to us rather
than an asset One of the chief rea-
sons we have been unable to meet
the Japanese thrusts has been that
much of our naval strength has been
needed to keep the route open be-
| tween here and England. We have
had no choice, because Britain has
not been able to help herself
We are beginning to realize that
whatever aggressive action is taken
in this war must be by Americans.
We are now admitting openly that
it will be only by means of power
full AEF that the European main
land can be invaded. One we'll
known commentator said the other
day that we must be reconciled here
after to the necessity of going to war
whenever the security of the British
Empire is threatened. Whether we
like the prospect or not, the fact
seems to be that we must from now on
play the role of wet nurse to the
British Empire if we would continue
under the sort of economy to which
we have become accustomed.
| What our leaders seem not to real
ize is that since the World war, Amer
lea has grown up. We have become a
calm and deliberate people and are
no longer the 'hysterical school girls
we then were
| All of us are willing to do every
thing we can to help win the war.
But we ask Mr.. Roosevelt and his
bright boys please to excuse us from
working ourselves into frenzy. We
can do far better job when we're
cool-headed than we can when we're
so excited we're half out of our wits.