LONDON AND WAR

Evening Star, Issue 23685, 19 September 1940, Page 11

LONDON AND WAR

MOSCOW’S INTENTION CLEARER INDIAN OCEAN AMBITIONS [From Odr Correspondent} August 8. Politicians in this country whose Views incline towards the Lett are reluctant to abandon all hope of Soviet Russia as a possible factor in the fight against Nazi domination of Europe. ■ They have even carried wishful thinking to the length of ignoring the tact that Moscow is just as totalitarian as either Berlin or Rome. But M. Molotoff’s latest declaration of Soviet policy, with its firm reiterance of loyal adherence to the Ribbentrop agreement and even improved relations with Italy and Japan, loaves little room for delusion. Sir Stafford Cripps obviously has a rather uphill task, and all he has so far achieved is a grudging admission that we are apparently wishful of better understanding with the Soviet. Opinion in other quarters grows still ■more suspicious that Russia’s pact with-: Germany actually includes a free hand for Hitler in the West and similar freedom for Stalin in the East. The almost minatory references to Turkey and Iran are significant. There is also_ a hint, in the mention by Molotoff of improved Japanese relations, that Moscow may be abandoning Pacific for Indian Ocean ambitions. BLOCKADE RESULTS.

' It is encouraging to hear on the highest authority that our sea blockade, now being considerably tightened up to prevent Spain taking on Italy s former non-belligerent role of bottleholder to Germany, is having, its effects. ‘Provided that we can force Hitler to use up a fair amount of vital materials, and our R.A.F. bombers keep up their successful raids on enemy stores, and also that Spain is not permitted to take over Italy’s role, there is tho certainty that within a period measurable in months Hitler will lack several important sinews of war. This is regarded officially not as by itself a determining factor for victory, but as a most important one in hastening the general incidence of war operations. There is no doubt that since the present Government took control this blockade -factor has been made a much more realistic and ponderable one. ALIVE TO MENACE. It is sigiirueaiit that America, official and popular, has received more than sympatiietically our more stringent sea blockade regulations. These are the most far-reaching and ambitious measures of the kina ever undertaken, and so far from raising any pedantic objections, our umlerstuiuuiig kinsmen across the Atlantic, now completely alive to the menace of European dictatorship even at a distance of 3,UOU miles, acclaim it publicly as the start of a real British offensive against the common enemies. This mams a very striking change even from the last war, when we had to walk us delicately as Agag in the matter of holding up shipping, lest wo offended American susceptibilities. Meanwhile Washington has not been inactive on own. account. Oil supplies for Japan Have been cut right off. This may partly fit in with America’s sudden realisation that she must look to her own supplies of the modern sinews of mechanised war. But undoubtedly it also_ marks American sentiment on tho subject of f Tokio’s recent intransigence. Japan’s reactions to this significant—and highly embarrassing—American gesture are already apparent. FAMINE REPERCUSSIONS. The prediction that widespread famine- will shortly seize most of Europe, and certainly those countries whose economic position has been _ utterly demolished by German occupation, fa swiftly being verified. There is a grave danger that in a few weeks or months millions of people may be suffering hunger. And a perhaps still igreater danger that well-meaning emotionalism, cither here or in the United States, may start an agitation for feeding these unfortunates. Nothing is more sure than that if such a movement is launched and_ carried forward the philanthropists will merely be feeding Germany and thereby helping, if not to a Nazi victory, at all events to a tragic prolongation of the war. We shall almost certainly have Berlin appealing shortly for food supplies for its starving neighbours. If such supplies are forthcoming, no matter how ingenious the safeguards, they will merely be helping to defeat our sea lilockade. It is satisfactory to find that already some American publicists, well informed as to affairs, are warning their countrymen of this very real danger.

SECOND MILITARY THOUGHTS. Sir Alan Brooke, our new Comman-der-In-Chief, is a young man as brass hats go, ana has had recent up-to-date experience of mechanised warfare in France. It is not surprising, therefore, to find that on taking over control of our home defences he has promptly given orders for the removal of all those elaborate road barricades with which in the past few months this devoted island has been so thickly plastered. Sir Alan’s view, as a modern soldier, is that however desirable it may be to have strong coastal defences of position, it is obsolete futility or worse to carry out anv such policy on ; roads in back areas. That would simply mean completely destroying the mobility of our own defence forces and depriving them of all the immense tactical advantage of swift-moving attack. This view is so obvious that it occurred even to civilian observers before Sir Alan’s appointment. It is satisfactory, however, to find that we are now abandoning an antediluvian idea which would, in case of enemy invasion, have crippled our own mechanised columnswith a multiplicity of toy Maginot Bines. That was always a defeatist strategy. If an enemy comes we want to get at him. RAISING THE WIND. A sequence of somewhat half-hearted War Budgets has somewhat strengthened the anxiety about the enormous financial strain this country is now bearing. It is in this situation that an M.P., Lieutenant-colonel Sir Thomas Moore, steps in with a startling though by no means novel suggestion. It is, in brief, that we should wipe off our outstanding war debt to America and thereby facilitate the raising of a new one by handing over one of the West Indies to the United States. Sir Thomas mentions Bermuda as an island which is' conveniently close to America, has strong American sympathies and associations, and would be invaluable to Washington as an Atlantic naval base. Since the transfer would be from one democratic, regime to another. Sir Thomas believes it could, arouse no

strong hostility in any quarter. How this idea will be viewed by Downing Street, if it is directly put to our political G.H.Q.. remains perhaps to be seen No doubt some enterprising American pressman will try to secure the views on this subject of our newlyappointed Governor-General, the Duke of Windsor, just now landing with his American Duchess in that island of desirable exile.