FASCIST INFLUENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 1, 3 January 1939, Page 9

FASCIST INFLUENCE

SOUTH AMERICA

FEARS IN U.S.A.

INEVITABILITY OF WAR

WASHINGTON, January 2.

i Asserting that the American people believe that war is inevitable, Senator Walsh, chairman of the Naval Affairs Committee urged '[', . tonight that the navy be built beyond treaty strength,- if iieces- • „; sary, in order to make it unkoat-

able. He outlined a five-point defence plan covering the enlarge- ;*: nient of the navy, the army, and the : air force, the strengthening of the ._ coastal defences, and the igobilisa- \-, tion pf /industry. ' \;|

His forthright statement, emphasising' - particularly the seriousness of the inilu- .? ence of the dictators in South America, v coincided with the revelations of, the-' intimidation of• delegates at the Lima'"' conference. Senator Walsh commented -' that the conference had forced people's attention to the inroads of the Fascist'-'. Powers in South America. -^ "There are limits," he said, "to the^ extent 'to which we can safely pursue , our good-neighbour policy.' The ger-y mination of hostile feelings in t tha j Americas is making possible the establishment of air and naval bases which y can only be construed as , a threat':» against- our national security."' '; "%

It has been revealed that the pro--3 Fascist Peruvian Government, violat--J ing diplomatic immunity, had.the mail.;| of all the delegates to the conference/,-! opened, thus delaying delivery by up td--six hours. Chauffeurs allocated to the.;, delegates were in the pay of the secret .; service. Moreover, detectives kept con-:," stant watch on the delegates' move->. ments and^ agents provocateurs were used to intimidate newspapermen, at- 1 , least one of whom was threatened with s' deportation because he exposed Italian 1--and German attempts to sabotage the '^ conference. ' - ' *