British, Hit by Disaster in Crete, Cheered by Iraq Victory and Bismarck Sinking ■ —... I—-I.

Review of Ninety-First Week of War 1 By Blair Bolles.

The battle for Crete, pressed by men who painted themselves green »nd cared not that thousands of their fellows were being killed in the war’s worst slaughter in order to make victory certain, continued furiously every day last week, and every day a final German victory over the British for the island’s possession seemed more likely. What will the Germans bj able to do with Crete when they ha\^e it? The answer to that question may provide the next chapter in the campaign for the control of the Mediterranean. East of Suez the British enjoyed a success which might make the loss of Crete less important than it could have been. As the British drove within a few miles of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. Rashid Ali A1 Gailani, the pro-Nazi Premier of Iraq, fled to Iran, and the Iraq Army asked for an armistice.

In one part of the globe the continuing British mastery was insured. In a sea chase more thrilling than anything past poets have fancied or former historians have celebrated, the British cornered and then sank the Bismarck, pride of the German Navy. 35.000 tons. Thus was avenged the loss of the Hood, which the Bismarck sent to the bottom. Thus—and more

important—was the superiority of the British on the wide ocean reasserted. President Roosevelt Tuesday night made a speech for which all the world was waiting and to which all the world listened. He said that this country would make sure that over the wide ocean between here and England the American goods essential for the English war effort would pass. On the dark continent of Europe, our Agriculture Department reported, enough food is available to continue existing rations until the new harvest.

jl.-:-

Mediterranean Front The island of Crete is a finger-shaped

piece of land covered with warty moun-

tains. Two weeks ago to-

C re ton morrow German para-

Tragedy chutists dropped there to displace the British from

possession. Within 11 days, or by the past Friday, the German victory seemed certain. Crete was the one prize the British won by their campaign in Greece. The island lies near Greece, politically is a part of Greece, and it is vulnerable

to attack from Greece, for its only har- bors and level places are on the north.

Planes, vessels and ground troops took

part in the fray. The British lost the cruiser York. 8,000 tons, which once vis- ited Washington. Viscount Halifax, the

British Ambassador in Washington, find- ing a grain of satisfaction even in the most unhappy developments, told a press conference here that Crete at least had cost Germany many men, had postponed the date when the Germans could act in Iraq, had provided the British with time to strengthen themselves in North Africa, and had indicated that invasion of England from the air is impossible.

On Monday the Germans began to

ferry tanks to Crete by plane to bulwark their offensive movements against the

positions held by the British. The first points of Nazi attack last week were

the British lines outside the airport of Malemi. which was the first foothold gained by the Nazis. New Zealand troops

( were resisting the German attempt to

spread out from Malemi. Heavy fight- ing was in progress around Candia and Retimo, both held on Monday by the British.

The British in Cairo said on Tuesday that the week's fight for Crete had cost

the Germans 18,000 lives, British including 5,000 lost at sea

Retreat while trying to invade the island by boats. But ap-

parently the Germans did not care.

They hammered at Canea, and they con- tinued their attempt to cut asunder the British-Greek lines outside Malemi. On

Thursday the Germans had Crete's chief city, Candia. and took Suda Bay. in Western Crete This meant that the British were caught in the middle be- tween two German forces, east and west. Suda Bay was the chief British naval base on the island. By Friday the Ger-

mans had Canea and Retimo. The Brit- ish were withdrawing.

This was a battle in a narrow water lane where air strength was proved de- cisive, inasmuch as Germans were in- different to casualties. Nazi flyers dropped 1,000-pound bombs on British warships in Crete waters, but the war

vessels were able to smash a German convoy and to scatter a large expedi- tionary force of 30 ships. On May 22, it was disclosed during the week. British naval vessels fought from 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. with hundreds of Nazi planes in what one British naval officer described as probably the heaviest air raid ever

conducted. In the subsequent days, however, the sea arm found it impossible tc hold off the invaders of Crete. Berlin claimed that the German and Italian naval and air forces combined sank 11 British cruisers, 8 destroyers, 1 submarine and 5 torpedo boats during the first 11 days of the Crete campaign.

While the British were leaving Crete, Rashid Ali A1 Gailani was leaving Iraq,

and his army was suing for Armistice peace. Adding to this pleas-

In Iraq ant news for London was the Italian admission that the

liner Conte Rosso 17.879 tons, with Africa-bound Italian troops aboard, had been sunk by a torpedo south of Syracuse, Sicily. It was said in Rome that most of those aboard were saved.

In the midst of the action around Crete, the Germans executed a successful forward thrust in North Africa. They captured Halfaya Pass, on Egyptian soil southeast of Salum. the stronghold which regularly changes back and forth from British to German hands.

* * * *

Battle of the Atlantic The Lutine bell of Lloyd’s of London

pealed on Tuesday, and Its loud ring an-

nounced good news. Far

Bismarck to the west of where the

Destroyed hell hangs a ship was

settling in Davey Jones’ locker—the Bismarck, mightest ocean

fighter in the Nazi Navy. For 1.750 miles the British had chased her with 11 bat- j tleships, aircraft carriers, battle cruisers and cruisers, helped by destroyers and torpedo planes. She went down in the Atlantic 400 miles west of Brest, and with her to their deaths went most of her men, a great German admiral, Guen- ther Luetjens, and about one-fourth of

Germany's known capital ship strength. Participating in the kill were the tor-

MEATS: 9 4.399.074.000 Lbi. FATS: 9 2 *59.405 000 Lbs.

FODDER: No Factor BREADSTUFF: 9 374.700.000 Bu.

1941 PROSPECTS: Britain, as always, must depend on seaways for food.

MEATS: + 831.*01.000 Lbs FATS: ♦ 39 642.000 lbs

FODDER 9 36.600 Tons BREADSTUFF: 9 24423.000 Bu 1941 PROSPECTS: Meat production probably down 5-15 per cent; fodder prospects unsatisfactory

MEATS: ♦ 945.127.000 Lbs. FATS P 7.285.000 Lbs

FODDER: 6 30.385 Tons BREADSTUFF: O 26 838 000 Bu

1941 PROSPECTS: Meat production likely 30*50 per cent off. because of fod- der shortage, excessive 1940 slaughter. --- '"1 ■

m-

MEATS ♦ 677.731.000 Lbs. FATS: © 59.171.000 Lbs

FODPER ♦ 130.500 Tons BREADSTUFF ♦ 25.226000 Bu

1941 PROSPECTS: 30-40 per cent drop tn meat, fodder, breadstuff* production probable: man) breeding animals slaugh- tered; fodder sources cut off. much land

suffering effects inundation.

MEATS © 2.295.537.000 Lbs FATS: ©3.511 488 000 Lbs.

FODDER © 538.358 Tons BREADSTUFF © 541.054.000 Bu.

MEATS: 9 232.832.000 Lbs. FATS: © 632.983.000 Lbs.

FODDER: © 812.262 Tons BREADSTUFF:© 107.328.000 Bu.

1941 PROSPECTS: Grain production likely 20*30 per cent subnormal, meat, fodder production probably do*n 30

per cent.

MEATS: © 361.821.000 Lbs. FATS:© 1.872.000 000 Lbs.

FODDER: ♦ 28I.4C4 Ton. BREADSTUFF © 1.717.678.000 Bu.

1941 PROSPECTS: All production likely do**n 20 per cent, because of re-

tention war prisoner*, etc.; fodder sur-

plus probably do*-n 35 per ernt.

MEATS: + 23.000.000 Lbs FATS © 78.500.000 Lbs

FODDER © 42.106 Tons BREADSTUFF © 1.965.000 Bu

1941 PROSPECTS: Mrat eiport large- ly sardines and fish, some diminution probabln^__

MEATS © 79,500.000 Lbs. MEATS © 14.576.000 Lbs MEATS: © 3*2.923,000 Lbs MEATS: ♦ 285.448 000 Lbs. MEATS © 168 583 000 Lbs FATS: ♦ 77.574.000 Lbl. FATS: ©22.699.000 Lbs. FATS: © 381 155 000 Lbs FATS. ♦ 18 371 000 Lbs. FATS + 32.67?000 Lbs

FODDER. No Factor FODDER :© 41.685 Tons FODDER: ♦ 87.180 Tons FODDER :♦ 127.455 Tons FODDER No Factor BREADSTUFF ©300.000 Bu BREADSTUFF © 38,924.000 Lbs BREADSTUFF: © 65,755,000 Bu. BREADSTUFF: ♦ 39.036.000 Bu BREADSTUFF: © 54,250,000

1941 PROSPECTS: Near famine pre- 1,41 PROSPECTS: Dearth of fodder 1941 PROSPECTS: Eaport surplus of 1941 PROSPECTS: Export surpluses 1941 PROSPECTS: War likely eut vails and production under normal. likely tocause smaller production cheese. ferdstuffs dependent on oilcake imports. probably niped out by the blue through oltve crop, chief source of edible fats,

now largely tut off. productive lands. by 20-40 per cent.

MEATS: ♦ 651.000.000 Lbs FATS: © 18411 000 Lbs

FODDER © 157.453 Tons BREADSTUFF: © 18.560.000 Bu

1941 PROSPECTS: Normal neat ex-

port largely fish: marked curtailment catch likely due shortage gasoline foe boats, cooditiona at aea.

MEATS ♦ 46 866.000 Lbs FATS © 22.964.000 Lb*.

FODDER © 92.764 Tons BREADSTUFF © 8.487.000 Bu.

1941 PROSPECTS: Meat production probably 15-25 per cent off. fodder shortage.

MEATS © 44 546 Lbs FATS: © 332 581.000 Lbs

FODDER: © 182 197 Tons BREADSTUFF © 8.063 000 Bu

1941 PROSPECTS: Domestic produc- tion probably slightly curtailed

MEATS ©261 263 000 Lbs FATS ♦ 47.236 0C0 Lbs

FODDER ♦ 37,311 Tons BREADSTUFF 4-48,571 000 Bu

1941 PROSPECTS: Production of ex-

port surplus foods likely normal or

slightly abot e.

MEATS: ♦ 248 834 000 Lbs FATS ♦ 60 997.000 Lbs.

FODDER No Factor BREADSTUFF; ♦ S.950,000 Bu.

194 1 PROSPECTS: Production, stepped up at insistence of Axis, may exceed normal. •

MEATS: ♦ 94 000 000 Lbs 2 FATS: ♦ 131.597.000 lbs

FODDER ♦ 153 854 Tons BREADSTUFF: ♦ 77.153.000 Bu

UNSETTLED CONDITIONS likely reducing production, estimates vary 10-25 per cent.

MEATS. > 132 837.000 Lbs FATS: ♦ 18 600 000 lbs.

FODDER No Factor BREADSTUFF ♦ 162.203 000 Bu

1941 PROSPECTS: Production all lines likely curtailed about 10-15 per cent by mobilization and world conditions.

MEATS: ♦ 81.748 000 Lbs FATS: ♦ 71 985 000 Lbs.

FODDER ♦ 80 229 Tons BREADSTUFF: ♦ 12.041.000 Bu.-

1941 PROSPECTS: Little Kit by war;

production should be lets than 10 per cent under normal.

pedo planes ol the British fleet air arm

based on the aircraft carrier Ark Royal— which the Germans once claimed they had sunk—and the new 35.000-ton Brit-

ish battleship Prince of Wales. An

American-made Catalina plane spotted the ship Monday and led the killers to her so that torpedo after torpedo might be shot into her vitals from the air.

The wild chase across the cold, green sea began Wednesday. May 21, when the Bismarck was spotted in the Nor- wegian port of Bergen by British scout- ing planes. The royal fleet saw her as

she passed in snow and sleet through the Strait of Denmark, between Iceland and Greenland, and on Saturday she put a

shell into the magazine of the 45,000- ton H. M. S. Hood, which sank with all hands. The British desire to catch the enemy now was turned into a pursuit for vengeance.

At 10:30 a.m. May Zt>, Monaay, alter

311 i hours in hiding, the Bismarck was

sighted once more by the British. A

reconnoitering Catalina aircraft, which

was immediately attacked, found the

Bismarck proceeding easterly 550 miles

west of Lands End. the westernmost tip of England. The Prinz Eugen was out of sight, and was never caught. At 11:15 am. naval aircraft from the Ark

Royal saw the Bismarck again, and the British never lost sight of her afterward until she plunged beneath the sea.

Between 11:15 a.m. Monday and day- light Tuesday the Bismarck four times was torpedoed from the air and from destroyers. At dawn of Tuesday the Bismarck was engaged with H. M. S. Norfolk. The German ship was slowed by then to 8 knots, and before the morn-

ing was over the Dorsetshire, 9.975-ton cruiser, gave her the coup de grace in

Britain and Herman Europe differ in the basic causes for their growing food shortages. German Europe's production areas, like Yugoslavia, a heavy surplus producer; Greece, Holland, Norway,

rural France—have all been disrupted by marching armies. Production has been hit by mobilisation of farm workers, by shortages of fertiliser.

Britain has access to production areas where food aplenty waits, but the Nasi counterblockade and the need t) divert ships for munitions carrying has cut heavily into her ability to transport food.

—Map by Associated Press.

the form of a final, fatal torpedo. At 11:01 a.m. Tuesday the Bismarck dis- appeared. and Germany was left with only three capital ships—the Tirpitz, the Bismarck sistership. and two 26,000-ton

battleships, the Gneisenau and the Scharnhorst. Britain has 15 capital ships.

* * * *

Home Front For 45 minutes Tuesday President

Roosevelt addressed the world. On the purely domestic front, he announced the existence of a full national emergency. On the Western Hemisphere front he

promulgated a policy which amounts to

an amendment and extension of the

Monroe Doctrine. On the world front he gave positive assurances that this

country would.see to it that goods meant for Britain would get to Britain.

The proclamation of national emer-

gency confers upon the President vast but vague powders to

Notional cope promptly with

Emergency urgent problems that might arise in these un-

certain hours. Most of these powers are

derived from laws passed during the war

period in 1917 and their exact nature is

obscure. The President gave no hint as

to when he might avail himself of any

of these powers.

The Ambassadors and Ministers of the

Latin American countries were present at the White House to hear the speech. This was appropriate, because it had a

special meaning for them. The Presi- dent enunciated the policy that in order to protect the Western Hemisphere, this country might oppose the occupation of certain lands outside the hemisphere by agents of a country which we consider unfriendly. He referred specifically to the Cape Verde Islands and the Azores

AMERICAN BASES HALFWAY TO EUROPE Newfoundland Rapidly Becoming Armed Camp for U. S. Soldiers

By Tracy Richardson.

An American citizen must get a pass-

port to go to Newfoundland. Moreover, though this crown colony of Great Brit- ain is a part of the North American con-

tinent, it is outside the. neutrality zone, and a special United States permit In addition to a passport must be ob- tained to go there.

There's another way. You can join the United States Army, Navy or Marine

Corps and go to Newfoundland. We have a 99-year interest in that northern island now and our armed forces are on the Job.

Everywhere in Newfoundland there are

visual signs that this oldest British colony is at war. On the trains and in the cities uniformed men are constantly in evi-

dence. Newfoundlanders, Canadians and Americans. The soldiers of Newfound- land are serving overseas and the men

of her fishing fleet are manning the ves-

sels of England. During the first World War the men of

Newfoundland fought for the mother country but the island itself remained

peaceful and comparatively quiet. In this second World War the perfection of the

long-range bomber has changed all that; now no place is sacred or safe. Today Newfoundland is rapidly becoming an

armed camp, dotted with airfields—a

rampart of strength blocking any in- vading force that might venture from

Europe to try the strength of the North American continent.

Three United States Bases.

Three military bases have been taken over by the United States Government, and in systematic haste they are build-

ing against time, but they are building aolidly and permanently, preparing for

any eventuality. Of all the bases ac-

quired by the United States from Great

Britain and her colonies, these three were

the first to see the uniforms of American

forces. Incidentally, Newfoundlander* are quick to let one know that these bases were not a part of the trade for the 50

over-age destroyers turned over to Eng- land. They want you to understand that

they were a free gift to the United

States from Newfoundland. On January 26. 1941, 100 marines

bedded down in the U. S. S. Peck at Argentia Bay unloaded their gear from

a Norwegian freighter and proceeded to make themselves right at home.

Argentia Bay, the site of our new naval base in Newfoundland, is 82 miles across

the Avalon Peninsula, west of St. John’s. The U. S. S. Peck is an old excursion boat that once carried gay parties from New York City to New Haven. Now she It the home of the marine forces, and

will so serve until adequate quarters are

completed ashore. At 8:15 a.m. on January 28 the United

States Army transport Edmund B. Alex- ander, with more than 1,000 Regular Army troops aboard, steamed into St. John's landlocked harbor and dropped anchor.

In striking contrast to the invasion of the European countries by the Axis

powers, the Newfoundlanders welcome

the advent of the American forces. They see a great good to themselves through the stationing of several thousand Amer-

ican soldiers, sailors and marines on

their island. First of all, they see benefits from the

pay roll Involved in the huge construc- tion program: secondly, from the pur- chase of native materials to be used in that construction, and lastly, from the

spending of at least a part of the large military pay roll.

Europe Too Close for comiori.

Right now, however—above the hope of present profit and eventual Improve- ment—the defense of the American con-

tinent is uppermost in the minds of the Newfoundlanders. Perhaps a bit of

geography will better explain this. St. John’s, the capital and principal city of Newfoundland, is only a little more

than 2.000 miles from Liverpool, and in between are two convenient stepping stones for a Nazi invading force—Iceland and Greenland. They loom large in Newfoundlanders’ minds, even though England has her own troops in Iceland, and appropriate and secret steps have been taken to care for Greenland.

Now, since American troops and naval forces have reinforced the several thou- sand Canadian and Newfoundland sol- diers already on hand, the island can

present a much more formidable face to Mr. Hitler.

The physical make-up of Newfound- land lends itself to defense. Roughly triangular in shape, it is 300 miles across

at the base. The Atlantic coastline is deeply indented with bays and rivers that could easily be defended. The coun-

try as a whole is rugged and rolling, covered with timber. An invading force

would find it impossible to make head-

way even against a force inferior in numbers and equipment. Any place that would serve as a landing place for enemy aircraft is being rapidly taken care of by means of new defense measures.

When the final defenses of Newfound- land are completed, it will have the larg- est military airfield in the world—the Gander Airport From here American bombing planes are rolling down its mile-

long runways every day and taking off ; for overseas. On its lakes flying boats from overseas land and depart. No pri- vate planes are allowed to land here and •

no civilians are permitted to leave the

train at the nearest station unless armed with a permit from the highest military authority.

Prom this one field alone it is esti- mated enough heavy bombers could take off to sink any invading fleet of fighting ships and transports that might try an invasion by the so-called northern route.

In addition to the Gander field, the United States Army is building its own

special airbase at Stephenville. Speed Is the Watchword.

Buildings at the American bases are

going up at a rate never before visioned in Newfoundland. Americans are in the key positions, but the workmen are New- foundlanders. I drove out to Quidi Vldi, the principal Army base, in a taxi after a plow had cleared the road of 14 inches of snow. The superintendent in charge, dressed more like a Northern lumber- jack than an engineer, greeted me.

“Not much to see yet,” he said, "but things are moving. These men are fine workmen. They’re a trifle slow accord- ing to American standards, but they do fine work, with regular British thorough- ness. And they want to work; stood out in the cold and snow all day yesterday waiting for jobs. We’re putting them on just as fast as we can get material.”

I walked around the new base and tried to make a few photographs through the snow. Across the road from the buildings already under construction were two weatherstained frame build- ings surrounded by a high barbed-wire fence. German prisoners had been in- terned there until the Americans came.

The camp now building at Quidi Vidi will, when completed, have everything necessary for the complete maintenance of a force of 10,000 American soldiers, from living quarters to machine shops for the upkeep of motor trucks and air- plane engines.

Post-War Benefits. The people of Newfoundland well

know what these American bases mean to them as a matter of safety against invasion, but they are not forgetting that some day this war will end and they will have the perpetual benefit of the things that have gone into the making of the bases: Settlements, better trans- portation and a general educational campaign that will be of untold benefit.

One of the heads of the Department of Conservation detailed to me a plan he had to reap a benefit from the avia-

i

Location of the new American bases on Newfoundland is shoxcn here. (1) Army airfield near

Stephenville. (2) Army base near

St John's, (3) naval base oxi Ar-

gentia Bay. —Base Map Courtesy of Infantry Journal.

tion activities on their island. “We

need,” he said, “more accurate informa- tion about our country, better maps. With all these pilots and planes they will have to keep in constant practice. I'm working to have them make a com-

plete aerial map of Newfoundland, we

paying for the material used and the

military planes and pilots doing the work of mapping. Prom a military de- fense point of view the map will be in-

dispensable. and it will also be a great aid to us in the economic development of our colony.”

inmate is tieauny.

Of all the bases acquired by the United States extending from Newfoundland in the north to Trinidad on the coast of South America, there is no doubt the Americans have received the warmest

reception in Newfoundland. From all indications the soldiers and

sailors who are and will be stationed ir Newfoundland are going to enjoy their

stay. The climate of Newfoundland is healthy, the living conditions of the Americans stationed there will be the

best it is possible to prepare. No de- vitalizing forces will be encountered as

in some of the Southern bases. One opinion that seems to prevail in

Newfoundland is that this influx of

eighteen or twenty thousand Americans and thousands of Canadians will even-

tually make startling changes in the very

lifeblood of the island. They think that while the invasion will be a peaceful one,

it will also be a conquering one, and that from now on the island will become more

and more American, not only in thought and action, but in commerce and every- thing that goes to make a people one.

The Americans are half way to Europe —and Newfoundland will never be the same again!

I

MILITARY EXPERTS HAVE PLANS READY Confusion in Inner Circles Cleared Away by President's Speech

By Constantine Brown.

Rapid preparations are being made by America’s fighting units to meet every

conceivable emergency. In the light of President Roosevelts’ address of Tues-

day night, there is no longer doubt in

any one’s mind in Washington that this

country is now on the eve of dramatic

developments. In the armed services Mr. Roosevelt’s

talk was received with a sigh of relief.

These men are realists. They had formu-

lated some definite plans for defense of the Americas. But they were concerned over the military conceptions of the

civilians who still have so much to say

ir^the formulation of our immediate poli- cies. For many months there was a state

of confusion which, while not apparent to the man in the street, was obvious to

all those in the inner circles. This con-

fusion was due to the fact that the main

talk was about “saving Britain” rather

than preventing Hitler from winning the

war. The latter, from the military point of view, does not depend necessarily on

the tormer. To our military people the Mediterra-

nean campaign has become a useless eflort which is bound to cost the British

much valuable war material and many men. The British Isles themselves are,

from the purely strategic point of view,

nothing but a Verdun which ought to be defended at all costs. Should this new

Verdun fall, however, it does not mean

in the least that our war is lost. Hence, their strategic concept was to direct all our national resources to defeating Hit- ler by the (jest available means and sus-

taining England to the best of our ability. preparations completed.

President Roosevelt’s stop-Hitler dec- laration has removed all doubt as to

where we shall be going from now on.

Two things appear henceforth inevitable: One is the strengthening of the Atlantic

fleet with new ships which are now be-

ing rapidly delivered by the navy yards to make the “patrolling system” more effi- cient. The task of the naval patrol will be twofold. It must spot Axis subma- rines and surface craft and communicate to the British their exact position, thus facilitating the task of the much-thinned British Navy and it must keep a close watch on the Nazi moves toward the Azores and Cape Verde Islands.

The other thing is the probable pro- tective occupation of these groups of islands in the event the Germans go into Spain and Portugal. The matter has been thoroughly discussed with the other hemispheric governments and th«

approval of most South American re-

a 4

publics has been obtained. Preparations for such a naval and military operation have been completed. What these prep- arations are remains a confidential mat- ter. known only to a few. But it is gen- erally believed that while this Govern- ment would resort to such a step only in the event of absolute necessity, there is little likelihood that the operation will be either unprepared or amateurishly organized. It won't be another Norway or Balkan expedition.

Nazis Not Ready to Move.

The question of Dakar is naturally in the minds of most military leaders, since its occupation by the Axis forces might seriously jeopardize the security of our continent. For the time being there are no indications that the Ger- mans are ready to move into that French port. The French Ambassador to Washington, M. Henry-Haye. on

Tuesday, a few hours before President Roosevelt's speech, gave definite written assurances that the Vichy government would not part with any of its colonies and would ndt permit the “Marine Na- tionale’’ to give the Germans a helping hand. These assurances were received with the usual diplomatic politeness by the State Department but it is realized that they cannot mean much, since France is no longer a free agent.

What leads our military men to be- lieve that the Germans are not pre- pared yet to move into Dakar is the fact that they still have a pretty stiff fight on their hands in Egypt and in the Near East and the abnormally hot season, which makes large-scale mili- tary moves difficult, is just beginning in Africa. These few months of respite will permit the United States to make the necessary preparations for any

emergency which might confront us in that section of the world.

Equally thorough preparations are

being made now to meet possible emer-

gencies in the South American conti- nent. The Presidents of a number of the Latin American republics are frankly concerned over what may hap- pen in the event of an overt conflict between the Axis and America. Despite the increased preparations of the mili-

tary forces of these republics, they are not yet sufficiently strong to meet in-

•ternal disturbances from the well and efficiently organized Fascist and Nazi

legions. These have been militarily pre- pared for several years and it was only quite recently that the respective South American governments attempted to put a stop to their activities.

A

But even though government ordi- nances have been issued lately, it is difficult in a vast country’ like Brazil or

Argentina, for instance, to control the doings of these we Li-organized forces. Nobody knows with any degree of defi- niteness how much armament has been —and still is—brought into these coun- tries for the use of the German and Italian fifth columns. It is not out of the question, should the situation grow serious, that some of the South Ameri- can republics might ask physical assist- ance from this country. Such assist- ance, the governments of the Southern Hemisphere know now, will be forth- coming without delay.

These possibilities were in President Roosevelt's mind when he stated Tues- day night that we must stop Hitler wherever he might attempt to interfere with the security of the Western Hemi- sphere and with the supplies we are

now sending to the one remaining nation which is fighting him in Europe.

South America's Peril.

There have been more than definite indications from all over South America that Hitler intends to “surprise us.” Anc naturally the surprise cannot be an

agreeable one. For several years the

powers of the Axis have not only under- mined the American effort for a closei co-operation with the republics south ol the Rio Grande, but have also organizec their nationals and sympathizers in effi- cient units, well equipped with small arms. They lack, of course, tanks and airplanes and the proper artillery.

These organizations, according to re-

ports which have reached Washington, are situated at important strategic points at seme distance from the principal mili- tary areas and intend to start rebellions and civil wars as soon as Berlin gives the green light. They are led by regular and reserve officers who have come from the Reich and from Italy etdher as mem-

bers of the embassy staff or as "com- mercial travelers” or have been smuggled into the country and have found their

way into the deep interior immediately. One of the German officials in a South American capital has boasted quite re-

cently that “we are here already: the Americans must come a very long way.”

Our military leaders feel that now it won’t be such a long way, once we know

exactly where we stand. On Tuesday night President Roosevelt

flung the gauntlet to Hitler. Everybody is waiting now for the moment when the Puehrer will decide to pick it up.

k