Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-03-23
But There Is Also DANCE
Democracies Do, Too
BY HUGH S. JOHNSON

or at least highly unlikely"
Since then. and considering
the Russian campaign, MacAr.
thurs resistance and the sink
ing of the Prince of Wales and
the RepulSe. our so-called ex-
perts are hedging on every such
bet.
If q Japanese air and land
fleet, rela vely ridiculously
weak, can sneak in and out Of
an American Gibraltar and get
away with so small a loss after
-inflictiag- stieh-daragc on the
pride and center of our massed
Pacific fleet-both air and sur
face craft-what can be called
impossible?
OFFICERS who have served
" recently in both Panama
and Hawaii tell me that the dis
positions and alertness of our
Panama garrison were much
better than at Honolulu.
1 have yet TO meet one who .
does not feel that the canal is
relatively safe. But neither have
/ met one recently who is sure
that II is impregnable.
AS for any great head-lon
encounter between the main
Japanese and American fleets,
the influence of. Admiral Mahan's
doctrine Of the fleet in being"
is too strong in both countries TO
make that likely if it can be
avoided.
Circumstances can be inn
agined in which IL would be un.
avoidaNe. but they are not likely
10 happen.
TlIE naval war is now a sort
Il of jockeying for position. In
lis second stage it will probably
be long drawn out commerce.
destroying war in which, as it
seems 10 me, Japan has much
more TO fear and TO lose than
have we.
All this sounds simple and
fairly safe, and, TO il all, is
usually added the assertions
that, with danger from Russia
in the North, the task of con-
quering China still incompleted
in the West. with India looming
beyond and Japans expansion
over magnificent distances and
our resistance TO the South.
Japan has spread her butter far
too thin over too big a slice Of
bread-as Hitler may have done
IN Europe.
4 Ii this is true. but in war
"A almost nothing can be taken
for granted. In a different way
we have spread our butter pretty
thin and have promised to spread
1t thinner.
Our South American friends
and Allies, plus the two great
ience-sltters. Chile and Argen-
tina, have a tremendously long
coast line to guard and a mini
mum of modern-treops and -
equipment with which 10 guard
it. They are inexperienced in
twentieth century war.
Several of them, including
principally Argentina, Chile and
Brazil. have large infiltrations
Of both japanese and Germans.
Both Axis powers have long
had great yearning' for these
markets as natural outlets for
their products.
The formation or transporta.
ton, landing and supply of a
few divisions of Axis troops in
one of these countries is by no
means an impossibility.
Especially in Chile. They
could be a sinister threat to us.
THEIaE would be consider.
i able d m and based on
plausible reasoning for us to
extend our naval vigilance and
our land, air and naval protec-
AiPii w Nilt OuN dIlH SuCTI
force, and also to guard the
whole long coast line of South
America.
How much of that sort OF
thing could we do and still
remain the arsenal of de-
mocracy, carry the war to the
enemy" wherever he may be
from the Straits of Dover TO the
Straits of Malacca and guaran-
tee the -four freedoms" TO hum
dreds of millions of Chinese,
Malay and Indian coolies?
Were those men entirely
wrong who visualized the de-
Tense of the Western Henri
sphere as a colossal task, and
couldn't the Japs and Nazis
make us shorten our battle lines
by merely threatening some
such move as this?
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