Evening star., 1949-11-05

~ III dQtIlOllGys
We suspect, however. that be-
hind the failure to achieve sue
cessful unification of the services
lies the lack of a satisfactory
strategical plan. Actually, it would
take genius to plan the defense
of this Nation, the Atlantic coun-
tries, and the Pacific, in face of
the previous actions by political
leaders.
Although the greatest funda-
mental military thinking of our
generation was done by a civilian
professor of geography. Sir Hal
ford MacKinder, no political lead
ers used his guidance either after
the first world war or during and
after the second.
fHeartIand' of Conquest.
Sir Halford, q Briton concerned
with defense problems of an island
kindom and empire depending on
command of the seas, warned his
countrymen-and America-that
world conquest could land might
only be accomplished from a CEN
trail position in the vast land mass
of the Eastern Hemisphere. which
contains most of the manpower
and resources of the world and
which, if unified under a single
command, might be impervious to
naval or air power based on what,
geographically speaking, are mere
ly peripheral islands of the
EuraSian mass.
Although when he wrote, Rus
sia was in such internal upheaval
as to seem a negligible factor,
MacKinder nevertheless warned
that the "heartland" of Eurasia
lay in Russia, Eastern Europe
and the Middle East. He went on
to say that should either Germany
or Russia consolidate this area, it
would be set to dominate Eurasia
and, in effect, the world.
MacKinder was neglected by the
countries he sought to warn, but
not by Germany or Russia.
Thus, despite the fact that i'm
portant pro-Western officers in
the German army wanted to reach
an arrangement with the West to
expedite Western occupation Of
the whole of Germany before they
laid down their arms to Russia
well knowing that Russian armies
at the Elbe would threaten the
security of all Europe-the BRAIN
less unconditional surrender
formula foiled any such possibil-
ity.
Happened at Yalta.
At Yalta what MacKinder
warned against for Europe hap
pened.
At Teheran the condition was
created for Russian conquest (via
civil war; Of China.
In short. MacKinder's night
mare has been largely realized.
That nightmare is a terrible blow
to naval power and-if Mac
Kinder continues to prove correct
to Western air power also.
For air power, according to
MacKinder. is essentially a wea-
pom of land power, and no islands
even such great ones as the
Americas-are equal to the land
mass of Eurasia.
The Navy. therefore, has every
reason to be worried, to have
little confidence In existing stra-
tegical plans, and to reject the
theory held by some Air Force
men that a war with most Of
Eurasia could be won by the hit
and-run tactics of area bombing.
And although the Army has a
different view, it is certainly du-
bious whether, without a rearmed
Germany, Western Europe is mil
itarily tenable. At the same time
it is practically certain that the
rearming of Germany by the
West would precipitate war with
the Soyiets-with every advan-
tage, military and psychological,
on their side.
The Navy, under present condi-
tions, is the conservative force,
bent on avoiding war if humanity
possible, and limiting areas to be
defended. And one doubts wheth-
er either Mr.. johnson or Mr.. Mat
thews, who are rank amateurs,
even as international political
thinkers, fully realize the serious
ness Of the Western defense posi-
tionS.
- n I,