Evening star., 1942-03-01

There is no question that the term
united Nations" has caught on. 1t
sounds well on the radio and meets the
exigencies of headlines. That definition
of the governments more or less closely
allied against the Axis Is sinking into
public consciousness, even though few
could offhand name all the 26 countries
whose representatives in Washington
signed this declaration Of unity on New
Year Day.
But the mere assertion of unity leaves
something to be desired. And in cold
fact it must be admitted that since
January / not much has been done to
unite these 26 nations in deed as well as
in name. That is not surprising, con-
sidering the enormous diversity and dis
tance which separates most of these
nominal Allies. 1t is much easier to
assume unity between Haiti and Russia,
or between China and Luxembourg, than
it Is to create the actual condition.
Precisely because some Of the United
Nations" are united In name only it Is
the more necessary that common policy
should be established among those which
are IN a position to work together for
long-range ends. Real progress in unfit
cation Is clearly contingent on effective
cooperation between the United States
and the British Commonwealth of Ma
tions. That is the prerequisite If there
is to be any substance In the heteroge-
neous political association which is at
present only nominally united.
In his broadcast announcing the fall
OF Singapore Prime Minister Churchill
balanced that disaster by emphasizing
the long-range gain to Great Britain of
having the United States as a co-bellig-
erent. That" he said, 'is what have
dreamed Of, aimed at and worked for and
now It has come to pass"
History Likely to Repeat.
II this alliance Is not consolidated in
some permanent form, Mr.. Churchill's s
achievement, the more remarkable be-
cause 1t was consummated against the
wishes of many Americans, will come
to pass" in the sense of having only
transient value. Such was the outcome
Of Anglo-hmerican military association
in the last war, and in that respect his
tory Is all too likely to repeat.
At the moment, in spite of unification
Of military command, shipping alloca-
ton and other vital administrative serv-
ices, there Is distinct trend toward re-
elimination and backbitfng in Anglo
American relations. It's sharpest illus
tration was the recent Rratuitous offer
OF Premier Hepburn Of Ontario to in
form our Navy where the japanese feet
can be found, and the various acid COM
ments on Canada's war accomplishment
which were tossed back across the border
In retaliation.
Such strident criticisms are q natural
result OF the series Of reverses since
Pearl Harbor and need not be taken too
seriously. Indeed they may properly be
regarded as Illustrations of that freedom
of expression which the democratic ma
tions are fighting to maintain. The
underlying unity of the family is not
affected by the squabbles which habitu-
ally arise within its circle. Neverthe-
less, Anglo-American recriminations had
better be kept to minimum during the
difficult months which lie ahead.
Axis Would Exploit Rift.
One reason is that any rift in the
Anglo-American lutte will be exploited by
the Axis with the utmost subtlty. Just
as our propagandists do everything pos
sible to divide Germany and Italy, so will
the Germans endeavor to antagonize
Great Britain and the United States.
President Roosevelt does well to call
attention to this. 1t is already whis-
pered that in the Bataan Peninsula the
Japanese are pulling their punches in
order to make British reverses appear by
contrast in an even more unfavorable
light. The importance of the story is
not in its doubtful accuracy, but in the
plausibility of such schemes to drive 8
wedge between Great Britain and the
United States.
If petty antagonisms among the Eng
disappearing nations can be created
even during the war, it is obvious that
the an-imporant maintenance of unity
afterwards will be extremely difficult
And that difficulty will not be lessened
because of the excessively pro-British
sentiment fostered by a minority of
Americans during the difficult period of
neutrality. An eventual reaction to this
80 EssrNc,, ~.