BEHIND BRITAIN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24419, 3 October 1940, Page 13

BEHIND BRITAIN

AMERICAN SYMPATHIES ALL POSSIBLE ASSISTANCE PEOPLE SPIRITUALLY STIRRED “ Short of sending men overseas. I believe that the United States will put all her strength of production into the fight on the side of Britain against the Axis Powers,” said Lieutenant-colonel W. Alex. Ebbs, the newly-appointed chief secretary for the Salvation Army in New Zealand, in the course of an interview with a representative of the Daily Times yesterday. Colonel Ebbs, who is visiting Dunedin during a tour of the Dominion, has spent the last 11 years ip America and has been in a position to follow her change from a policy of isolation and non-involvement in European politics to one of giving all possible aid to Britain. ; Danger Realised “At the outbreak of the war, - ’ Colonel Ebbs said, “ there was considerable hesitancy on the part of Americans to have anything to do with Europe at all. The non-repayment of war debts after 1918 still rankled in the minds of many, who said that the United States had been the financial ‘ sucker ’ of the Great War. There was a strong feeling of opposition to Britain and the bogy of British Imperialism loomed large on the horizon. But as Hitler marched rough-shod over Europe and more and more free and peace-loving nations fell under his mechanised force, the people of America began to realise that Nazism and Fascism were far bigger bogys and that disaster for Britain would eventually mean disaster for them. The reality of the danger came home to them and America was spiritually stirred.”

President Roosevelt had played a valiant part in reshaping American public opinion. Colonel Ebbs continued, and he had done it in spite of tremendous opposition from the isolationists arid even from his own party. His conception of, ipternational policy was a sound one arid he had made earnest efforts to give the United States a policy that would pull her through the great financial crash of 1529. “If the United States and Britain formed an alliance—and who can say what the future holds in that direction—it would ensure the peace of the world,” he said. “And as Japan, which is America’s greatest potential enemy, has finally become allied to the Axis Powers, it is only natural that the two great English-speaking nations should draw closer together.” Italy’s Mistake Colonel Ebbs, who spent five years in Italy, learned to love that country, and he expressed regret at the course she had taken “ Italy’s link-up with Germany will, I believe, be to her detriment,” he said. “ and those of us who know and love the country are more than sorry that Mussolini ' has aligned himself with Hitler, Fascism was the right thing for Italy, because it brought her out of the doldrums at a time when she had become rampantly Communistic, She needed a strong leader and the Duce transformed the country from beggary to a dignity that has to be seen to be appreciated fully. But then he made the mistake of believing that what was medicine for Italy would be a panacea for the whole world.” Colonel Ebbs had a 35-mlnute interview with Mussolini while he was in Italy and had been struck by the Duce’s understanding and knowledge of the work of the Salvation Army. He had been frank and free in his speech although he had displayed some of the idiosincracies which later became more pronounced and part of his general bearing.,