The Wilmington morning star., 1944-08-01

government to the total moblllZa.
ton of the country" and called
upon "all the best minds Of the
nation. to know war, to study
al understand il, as the only way
OF reaching a complete solution of
the problem that may be present
ed to us, and which we shall have
to resolve if some day God should
eecide that the clarion call of war
must resound on the banks of the
River Plate" A dictatorship pre-
pairing for total war is not neu-
trail state, and ITS neighbors would
be guilty of criminal negligence if
they failed to take all necessary
measures to stop the development
of this new aggressive state be-
1cre it can become formidable.
There is no doubt whatever that
the Argentine dictatorship intends
external aggression. Our govern
naent and the other American re-
publics have conclusive evidence
that the Bolivian government was
overthrown last winter by con-
spiracy fomented in Argentina. AS
Secretary Hull said at that time,
the Bolivian aggression was "but
one act committed by a general
subversive movement having for
It's purpose steadily expanding &C.
tlvltleS on the continent" The
countries Immediately threatened
by the Argentine Fascists are its
Immediate neighbors, Uruguay.
Paraguay, Bolivia, and Chile. This
general subversive movement is
now to be bacsed by a military
machine modified for total war.
BY world standards, Argentina
is, obviously, not capable of be-
coming a great military power.
But n South America, as compar-
ed with her smaller near neigh
eors, she already has great mill.
tary superiority. and can easily
make 1t absolute. Thus the issue
OF collective security is posed now
IN practical form within the West.
e1-; Hemisphere. We have in our
midst state intent on aggression.
ORIGINATING for aggression, and
capable of aggression. If we ACCEPT
This situation, if we do not organize
the collective defense of our threat
eled neighbors, if we appease the
argentine dictatorship, the solidar-
lty OF the American republics is
destroyed, and all our plans and
Fl omlses for a.. organized peace in
tie world will have become a
mockery before we haye even be.
gun to write them down on paper
1t will be to the everlasting credit
OF Secretary Hull that he has seen
The gravity of the issue. Though
ne has moved with the utmost for
otarance, with scrupulous respect
1or the views and wishes of our
sister republics and of our other
s-Hes. he has not paltered with
Ire issue nor flinched. We have
right to believe that all the United
Nations will recognize that there
IS at stake hera no special and
exclusive interest of the United
states, nor even only the peace
and solidarity of Pan-America.
nut the prospect of International
law and order in the postwar
world. If the American republics
cannot throttle aggression in their
own neighborhood, they will have
disqualified themselves every
where as guardians of the peace.
This is, of course, an inconven.
lett moment to have to meet this
issue. But let US not deceive our
selves: the disturbers of the peace
will always pick a moment when
1t is incoavenient for the guar
dams of the Leace to act. The
japanese when they raped Man.
churia. the Italian Fascists in
Ebyssinia and in Spain, the Nazls
n the RhineIand, Austria and
Czechoslovakia, were always pick
ing iaconvenient moments when
the other nations were preoccu-
PIED. 1t is an essential part of the
technique of aggression to act
whe nthe guardians of peace are
off guard.
The Argentina dictatorS ara
Counting on OUR ureoccupation with
TIE great war, On British, Ameri.
can and Russian need for their
exports, and uocn exploiting the
economic tensions in neighboring
countries which are the conse-
cuence of the war. They believe
that their position is strong enough
to insure them against effective
conference.-the while the great
war continues, that when it ENDS
the worlds need of their supplies
will, in combination with a general
War-Weariness, guaranty them i'm
lnunity for long enough to permit
them to organize their military
force and to intiltrats their neigh
bors. They hope then that the post.
war world will be so unsettled, that
they will be anle to fish in its
troubled waters.
They think they have us in a
cleft stick. But they will be mis-
taken unless, as is now no longer