Evening star., 1943-12-21

q s atcn from DaVo LA"rehce'
Ankara, said that the Nazis had
abandoned all hope Of winning the
war but were confident of their
ability to hold out another year
In order to get favorable peace
terms. A usually reliable source
said an unnamed German official
had confided to friends in Ankara
that the Nazis now regard the war
as lost"
It might we'll be that Won Papen
or some other German official con-
fided the foregoing information to
other diplomats in Ankara and that
in this way the viewpoint became
known. But it is significant that
the Nazis are placing reliance on
what the presidential campaign may
develop for the benefit of Germany
while the Nazis acknowledge"
says the United Press dispatch,
that President Roosevelt is COM.
mitteed to unconditional surrender
and cannot back down, they feel the
1914 presidential elections in the
United States might alter the situa-
ton.
"If President Roosevelt should be
replaced-by either Democrat or
a Republican-the Germans believe
he would be able to tone down the
unconditional surrender demand,
particularly If heavy casualties and
anxiety over the Pacific war should
make the American people restive."
The Nazis still are under the illu-
sion that the American people can
not bear severe losses and that the
isolationists and the anti-Roosevelt
voters are ready to support
Republican nominee who will not
follow through on the demands for
the surrender of the German Army
and Navy and Air Force as a pre-
requisite to an armistice.
This is one potent reason why
there ought to be identical planks
on foreign policy and on the future
terms of surrender embodied in
both the Republican and Demo-
ratio national platforms with a
public avowal of the same view
point by every candidate whose
name could possibly be considered
favorably by either the Republican
or Democratic convention.
The coming contest is not going
to be based wholly on personalities.
There are many voters, for exam
pie, who may bolt the Republican
PARTY and vote for a fourth term
for President Roosevelt, not because
OF possible disappointment at the
Republican Party's treatment Of
Wendell Willkie but because they
believe in the principles of foreign
policy espoused by Mr.. Willkie.
Unless the Republican nominee can
convince the 100000 to 100000
independent Republican voters who
hold the balance of power in the
election that the Republican nomi-
nees, If elected. will carry out the
Roosevelt foreign policy, they will
vote for q fourth term for Mr..
Roosevelt so as make doubly sure
that there will be no hope left for
the Nazi high command or the Nazi
Party in any armistice that ends
the war.
The trouble with the anti-Willkie
movement is that 1t is bitter against
a single man, forgetting that most
of the voters who still follow Will
kie aren't interested in persons but
principles and that, notWithstand-
ing their disapproval of New Deal
4ey will r0{o VIC o1lNtryir,r
the foreign policy of the United
States to be handled by strad-
dler.
The Republican leaders are anx-
ious to win next time and some Of
them profess to see the wisdom of
naming a man other than Willkie
who will stand four-square on the
Roosevelt Hull program in foreign
affairs. But there are other leaders
who have learned nothing from the
1882 or 1886 or 1910 elections and
still think a negative strategy Is
going to be enough in 1914 and that
the candidate can be any one of
the men prominently mentioned
irrespective Of whether he is willing
to pledge continuity of the Roose-
velt-Hull policies.
Time alone will tell which Repub-
hcan group is right, but 1t Is sig
nificant that the Nazis are count
ing on campaign pressure to soften
both the Democratic and Republi-
can view If Roosevelt is not cam
didate to succeed himself. For
eign questions can be eliminated