Evening star., 1951-03-18

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which enabled the old coalitions
to defeat every attempt at a super
government from Napoleon on
ward. Even when confronted with
the enormous mass of Oriental
communism, the West dodges the
fact that Russia PLAYED stellar
role IN each of the fortuitous
coalitions from 1900 to 1945. 1t
also maintains its "'nuddle
through" philosophy in the face
of proof that Napoleon, William
II and Hitler each came quite
near victory. despite adverse odds
of around three to one. We told
the world and at least convinced
ourselves that our ancestors and
we triumphed because Of a feeling
of being in a special sense the
protectors of freedom-we and
two czars and Stain. Actually
our coalitions triumphed because
of their vast numerical and ma
terial superiority. AS for the last
war, tell any front-line fighter
that the Nazis or the Japs lacked
morale and he will laugh in your
face.
Britain Toughest Case
Our leaders realize that we
cannot now give blank checks to
our Allies as in the last two wars.
They also know that World War
III calls for a vigorously central
lied strategy. Nevertheless, it will
be hard to change the attitude
of our friends, just as IL will be
hard to substitute Spartan meth
ods for the plush planning which
has mushroomed at the Pentagon.
Britain presents the toughest
case, though almost equally serious
problems must arise elsewhere.
There is the initial matter of top
brass. Britain has about five
times as many men of five-star
rank as we have. Furthermore,
Churchill established in World
War II virtual $3.50 system for
plums and planning as regards
Britain and America.
Our psychological problem Wis
Avis our Allies today is, therefore,
not only complicated by the fact
that we are poorer than previously
compared with the enemy, but we
must in addition carry the burden
of undoing the effects of the role
of younger son and late arrival
on the European scene which we
have at least partially accepted
heretofore. Even when we were
clearly the colossus of the last
war, Churchill's personality and
his almost hypnotic influence on
Roosevelt gave a strange unreality
to the direction of the struggle.
In addition, his mother knows
best attitude toward America has
gained renewed prestige lately
through the growing conviction
that perhaps his plan of striking
at the soft underbelly" of Europe
was master strategy, even though
q harder way to smash Germany
because it might have halted Rus
sia east of the Alps and therefore
could have kept her out of the
West. And yet he sat in the
Stalin-take-all conferences. He
remains, therefore, at once an
enigma and the source of Britain's
continuing over-strength at con-
ference tables.
Pitts Tactics Recalled
Perhaps we could begin reason
ing with the British by reminding
them how Pitt and his successors
handled the coalitions against Ma
poleon. Britain spent only about
$40 million to subsidize the en-
emies of France. yet she directed
strategy. Nor did she feel i'm
PEELED to apologize for the fact
that her troops on the continent
at no time exceeded 10 per cent
of the forces under arms against
the Corsican. Her outlay can be
contrasted with the $40 billion
which we gave our Allies in Worlo
War II. In Pitts day standard
operating procedure was to pay
fixed sums per month for specified
numbers of men on the line. II
was not as glamorous as oul
method Of inviting Russia and al
others to come In and not only
help themselves freely to theil
war needs, but also to stockpile
their industry for the future ano
even to stockpile for war against
us, If 1t should seem more profit
able. However, it had the ad-
vantage Of costing only one.
thousandth as much as our sys.
tenn.
When settlement day came al
the Congress of Vienna, Britain
called most of the turns. Portu-
gal, her stanchest friend, which
was used as a scorched-earth ter
ritory to break Napoleon's might
was practically ignored. Never.
theless Portugal continued a.
Britain's ally because she felt thai
overall British policy was better
for her than that of France o.
Prussia.
France presents a special prob.
lem. Her prestige is such tha'
even in defeat she has repeatedly
overreached her conquerors. Sh'
gives to the Allied cause a mora
force in Europe which no other ma
ton can equal there. Yet her CO.
lonial system. with its low wage!
and inadequate production, Gre
ates a propaganda problem wher
we seek to present the benefits o.
the democratic system to thl
world.
The colonial system remains ths
chief milestone around the neck O.
Europe. Britain is fortunatel!
out of india, but in Africa and tn,
Orient she still shares with France
Belgium and Holland the burdel
of a system which is basically op
posed to the moral standards ere
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