EUROPEAN CHAOS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 August 1939, Page 9

EUROPEAN CHAOS

AS SEEN BY AMERICA. The chaotic state of foreign affairs confronts this country with not only a critical situation, but one which changes with such rapidity from day to day as to preclude reliable assumptions (writes M. E. Tracy, in the New York “Current History”). For weeks and months we have gone to bed each night not knowing what the morrow might bring. Many of us, however, have preferred to prophesy rather than wait. What is worse many of us have formed convictions on the basis of phophecy and some have gone so far as to advocate the formulation of rigid policies on such a basis. As a matter of fact, we do not know what is going to happen or how it may affect us and our country. As a matter of fact, nobody knows, even including those who think they are shaping the future. Hitler doesn't know; Mussolini doesn’t know; Chamberlain doesn’t know; and Stalin doesn’t know. There are too many cooks spoiling the broth for anyone to say what it will be like when finally dished out. It is of little use to advise the people of this country to keep calm. They are too excited over, and too interested in, what is going on. They are both awake and alarmed. But—and making due allowance for all that—there is one thing they can and should do; keep their heads and maintain a liberty of action which will permit them to adopt the most sensible course if, as, and when the necessity arises. This is no time to proceed on assumptions, especially assumptions which obviously rest on thq lack of. anything like a true perspective. The foreign situation is not only obscured by men’s inability to foresee the future with any degree of accuracy but, in this particular instance, it is obscured by a smokescreen of bluff, bombast, brag, hypocrisy, deceit, and intrigue quite beyond the human mind to fathom or analyse. We know that the dictators hate democracy. We know that they have done everything possible to undermine if. We know that their technique has been based on the theory of biting off a little here and a little there, but never quite enough to provoke general resistance. We know that they engineered a Franco victory in Spain so that they could use that unhappy country as the base of operation if occasion required. Wo know that they have tried to split England and France apart, and to keep Russia out of any opposing coalition that might be formed. We know that they have angled for the friendship or Japan; that they have done their best io establish an effective spy system in this country and in Latin America. We know that the sum total of their strategy, activities, and manoeuvring indicates nothing less than a power-drunkepness on their part, and that they rnaji have reached a point where they would try anything that promised to feed their preposterous ambitions. We know that they are in rathci desperate circumstances from an economic standpoint: that they lad: cash and credit: that they have actually starved their people in order to provide cannon and cannon fodder. We know that they feel the need of beating the tom-tom in order to keep their distressed millions in line. But what They will do next, where they will strike, and how it will affect our own situation — we do not Know.

War may have come before the ink .s dry on this paper or ine entire strut may have collapsed, even ii only for a breathing spell. The world nas three gigantic military machines —those of Japan, Germany, and Italj —ready to go. Back of those machines however, are comparatively emplj treasuries and soul-weary multitudes, lheir one hope of success lies in striking with such speed and such ruthlessness as would blast or scare their enemies out of countenance. We know that this would be the basis of their tactics, il war comes. We know that they would spare nothing and nobody to gain quick advantage; that they would have no consideration for weakness, innocence, oi non-participation. We have seen them bomb defenceless cities, and we have heard theii aviators explain what fun it was to behold women and children in High, from the raining dew of death. Wc know that the other side would pursue similar methods, no matter how much it might protest or complain. In plain English we know that, if conflict arises throughout Europe, we shall behold such a shambles as never before. V/e know that this might well include us, no matter how desperately we tried to stand aloof. We do not know how the line-up will shape itself; what issues will be involved how definitely our emotions and convictions will bo affected, or what opportunities for real service to humanity might arise. Our obvious course therefore, is to eschew all commitments, keep our eyes open, and wai until wc can get a clearer vision of what is happening.