Evening star., 1943-05-16
Brown
Continued From Page BID

their move their chances of pressing
whatever initial victories they may
achieve on the Eastern front will be con-
siderably reduced.
OF course a frontal attack against the
European wall will be enormously costly.
But the question is whether it would
not be more advisable to take heavy
punishment now and pay heavy price
with the prospects of establishing an i'm
portant toe-hold in Europe; or whether
it would be better to lose men and war
materials on the installment plan and
take chance of continuing the war in
Europe for at least another two years.
If we had to fight in Europe only, as in
the last war; we should definitely take
the long road Time then would be on our
side. The enemy will be disaffected by a
war of attrition. The morale on the home
front in the Reich will suffer when the
people hear that more, though minor,
battles have been lost. This is the pros
pect which our British allies have in
mind, and they are absolutely correct
in their estimate of the situation.
But, unfortunately, we have even more
vital interests in the Pacific than We
have in Europe. We are fighting in Eu-
rope today because if the Nazis had won
the war our entire system of democracy
would have been irremediably leopard
lied. On the other hand. if we cannot
crush the japanese Empire even more
thoroughly than we hope to destroy the
Nazis, our very national existence will be
menaced.
Have Established an Empire.
The Japanese already have established
an empire. They are in the war against
the United States with the idea of kill or
be killed. They would, Of course, like to
see the United Nations sufficiently tired
out to make them amenable to a peace
by negotiation in the Far East Their
hope for successful Nazi resistance to
the Allies is not based on concern for the
Allies, but on the expectations that after
having lost millions of men in the war in
Europe, We shall ali be willing to make
an honorable peace with Japan. And
the japanese believe that in less than IS
years they will be able to dictate every
thing they wish to this country.
In the last war we fought only the
Central Powers. Now If we have In the
slightest degree the sentiment OF SELF
preservation we must realize that as soon
as the war in Europe is over we must
concentrate all our effort In the Pa
cific.
The Japanese are strong. Next year
they will be stronger and in 1945 they
will be even stronger regardless Of
whether we manage in the meanwhile to
destroy more Of their shipping or bonn
bard Toxic and other cities.
In order to deal with our enemy In
the Pacific we must have . free hand;
we must end the war in Europe 1T the
earliest possible moment, regardless Of
how heavy sacrifices it may require.
In strategy It is frequently advisable
to tackle the line Of strongest instead Of
weakest resistance. It often pays better
dividends in the long run. The strategy
Of reducing the Nazis by long operations
leading into Germany by the backdoor
of the Balkans might appear on the sur
face as the most economical and safest.
But our national interests require that
we try to defeat the enemy by . bold
move through Western Europe.
A determined campaign against West
ern Europe could free our hands 50 that
We could tackle the Japs as soon as pos
sible in fight that is even less . picnic
than the fght In Europe.