Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-10-27

our difficulties, have been asking
whether we are played out and
are expendable as allies.
Not that it is surprising that
Americans should ask such uues-
tons. Since i776. It has been basic
to their thinking to identify the
power Of Britain with the possess
sion Of an empire and to believe
that in the fullness Of time the
system would crack and fall
asunder. Now they see that em-
pire In the last stages Of liquida-
ton.
Add to this the knowledge that
Britain herself sustained grievous
loss in two world wars. Is hurdened
with debt. possesses few natural
resources to sustain her 81 million
people, and 1t Is easy enough TO
conjure up q picture Of diminished
status. growing impovertshment
and steady decline.
Yet this would be q wholly err
roneous picture which. II accepted.
could lead to wrong appraisal Of
world forces and 20 policies dam
aging to the interests not merely
Of Britain but Of the United States
as well.
What are the true facts about
Britain? What are her prospects2
The Disappearing Empire
It is true. OF course. that the
empire is fast disappearing: tute-
lage Is giving way to the concept
Of Commonwealth partnership;
former dependencies are becom-
ing masters in their own house.
But this Is not q new develop
ment--it Is the elimination of
trends deliberately encouraged
for over q century. In short. the
empire has not been breaking up;
il has been growing UP.
An that has happened in recent
years Is that the process which
led to sovereign independence for
Canadian, Australasian and South
African colonists has been ex-
tended to include former depend
ent peoples in Asia and Africa.
The transfer Of power has been
gathering momentum and Is
fraught with many difaculties. but
to believe that 1t means q weak
ening Of British influence In the
world is naive in the extreme.
For Britain's strength in former
days did not lie In the possession
Of territories overseas. These were
symbols Of her wealth and power.
not the source Of them.
Admittedly. there we're strategic
advantages in possessing q chain
Of fortresses and fueIing stations
girdling the globe. There were.
and still are. great advantages to
the British in having access to
sources Of raw materials and mar
kets which. il in the possession
Of other powers. might be denied
to them.
Trode Built II
But 1t was trade that made
Britain great. It was trade that
brought wealth--and 1t is wealth
that spells power. One recalls
Napoleon's contemptuous refer
ence to "a nation Of shopkeepers"
though 1t was the shopkeepers
who launched the coalitions which
destroyed him and others who
later sought to ride roughshod
over the world.
But the British possessed more
than q fair for business-they
had and still have extraordinary
inventiveness. They were the
pioneers Of modern industry and
Of modern communications They
financed and built the worlds
first railways. including some Of
those Of the United States, and
by opening up vast new areas,
uncovering new resources, facin-
tating the movement Of men and
goods they. more than any other
people. changed the face Of the
earth.
Most Of these advantages were
lost in the struggle against Hit
ler's Germany. Britain suffered
grievous physical damage: her
trade dwindled and former Gus
toners turned elsewhere or &C.
veloped their own industries;
overseas investments were sold
for munitions and food: debts to
other countries mounted. Alto
gether. the war cost the British
a quarter Of their national wealth
The road back to strength and
prosperity has not been easy. The
nation has had to accept discipline
and restraint while war damage