Evening star., 1946-03-24

trust in the same slogan and turn all
her energies to the building OF the
largest air, naval and land force the
world has ever seen.
At the end of the war, right after We
day, this country was the strongest and
best equipped military power in the
world. We have thrown this might In
the ash can because the people OF this
country believe the UNO would be a
kind of "cure all" for all the ills which
might befall the world. Our gulNble peo-
pie believed in q superbly organized
propaganda which chanted in written
and spoken word the same cry Of bring
the boys home and return them to their
old peaceful occupations.
Under the pressure OF public opinion
the most inane system of redeployment
the point system. which maintained
military units in name only, whereas, in
fact, they became disintegrated-was
put into effect.
Forces Abroad Are Weak.
The American people hastened to beat
their swords INTO plow shares with great
er speed than even Moscow had hoped
Tor. Our forces abroad have become so
weak and inconsequential that today we
could not even face the divisions of Mar
shal Tito of Yugoslavia, should he re-
peat his performance of last July and
attempt to rush the Allied forces keep
Ing watch in the Italian territories
which this Yugoslav dictator covets.
Russia and her satellites are convinced
that Americas rapid demobilization
combined with an intense propaganda
OF small but vociferous group Of Amer
leans who believe in the U. S. S. R. more
than in their own country, has made us
completely helpless and incapable of
salvaging our only hope for world peace
the UNO.
Hitler was in the same frame of mind
when he unleashed the catastrophe
war in 1899. The "decadent pluto
democracies" of the west were unpre-
pared for war. They showed this by the
humiliating appeasement policy adopted
by Britain's Prime Minister Chamber
lain. Hitler had assured his rear by a
nonaggression pact with the Russians,
to whom he had promised half of Po-
land and the Baltic states. He mag
unanimously fulfilled his promise, fully
convinced that once he had crushed
Western Europe he could take back
with interest what he had given his
Russian partner
On paper his war could not be lost.
Hitler and his experts" were convinced
that 1t was cinch. America could not
bulge. There was nothing In this coun-
try except frigidaires, automobiles and,
as Admiral Nomuro had expressed 1t
earlier, beauty rest mattresses which
no man IN his senses wants to swap for
a fox hole full Of rats" And If Amer.
lea attempted to move, there were thou
sands Of saboteurs In this country to
prevent major effort on the part Of .
"warmongering government"
Not as Well Fixed as Hitler.
In spite of the reported $4,000 900 to
15,000.O00 men under arms in Russia
and the satellite countries and In spite
of the unquestionable war WEAKNESS of
the people in the western denocracies,
Stains position, from the strictly tech
nical point of view, is less favorable
than was Hitler's in 1889.
Russia's new allies. the satellite states
in the Balkans and in Eastern and Gen.
trail Europe are kept on Russia's side by
sheer force and terrorism. It is true
that they all have been provided with
MoscdW-selected friendly" govern
ments. But without the 2,500,0OO Rus
sian soldiers equipped with the most
modern war weapons these satellite
governments would collapse overnight.
Their own people hate them and accept
their domination with resignation, be-
cause of the Russian garrisons and
particularly because they believe they
have been abandoned by the United
States and Britain.
It has been said in the past that mass
rebellions and revolutions can be Of
little avail when the conquering power
possesses sufficient airplanes and tanks
to suppress them. Hitler had these,
too, and his men knew how to handle
them. Yet he suffered innumerable
headaches from the nations which he
had subjected by force. As in Hitler,s
day, underground forces now exist
almost everywhere in the Balkans and
in Poland. The deportation and execu-
ton OF large number of people is being
compensated by an improved under
ground technique. In Yugoslavia the
Tito regime is said to be so unpopular
even in the army that the marshal
had to abandon his campaign to de-
stroy Gen. Draja Mihailovich and his
10000 or $4,000 poorly equipped but
fanatical guerrillas.
Resentment Over Red Acts.
The Russians were received like real
liberators in Bulgaria, where the popu-
lation was overwhelmingly pro-Russian,
even during the Nazi-Bulgar alliance.
Moscow managed, however, to turn
into fear and hatred by
terroristic methods which the
sturdy Bulgars resent bitterly.
It is admitted by all students who
have watched European developments
between 1898 and 1912 that Germany
could have dominated Europe had her
leaders adopted more intelligent pol
Icy than that advocated by Hitler-the
mailed fist.
The same can be said about Russia
today. The people in the Balkans and
Eastern Europe who have been fighters
ever since the beginning of their history
expect rape, arson and looting to follow
in the wake Of conquering army. But
the Red armies have outdone themselves