The Waikato Times TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24. 1940 AMERICAN COLLABORATION

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21226, 24 September 1940, Page 4

The Waikato Times TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24. 1940 AMERICAN COLLABORATION

Discussions among representatives of the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand regarding naval and air bases in the Pacific and elsewhere are amongst the most significant developments in the whole war situation. Inevitably the United States is being compelled to extend her defence frontiers to keep the enemy at arms’ length, and the farther those frontiers are extended the more secure does America’s, and the Empire’s, position become. Even joint use of the Singapore Base has been discussed, although the warning has been given that these consultations should not be regarded as executive negotiations. It is clear, however, that the whole position is being canvassed so that action may be taken promptly should the necessity arise. Should any danger of Britain’s collapse reach the American mind, developments could be expected to follow quickly. rnformed American opinion seems to be confident that Germany is doomed to defeat as the result of a long war, and, what is more important, America is proving beyond doubt that she is prepared to play a worthwhile part in bringing about the Nazis’ downfall. Every step that the United States takes to deny Germany opportunities in an ever-widening circle, every aeroplane, ship or gun sent to aid Britain, is a blow struck by America for liberation from the Nazi threat. This is American participation in the war—a participation which by the very nature of things must and will increase the longer the war lasts. Each individual step builds upon the American war effort as a whole, and one step leads to another. Recognition of the need for collaboration with Britain is a preliminary to active collaboration. The great advantage from the Allies’ point of view is that the presence of American forces and interests in a particular sphere warns the enemy off, for none of the enemies of democracy yet dares to entertain the possibility of clashing with the United States. America wields, or could wield, the balance of power in the world today, and the enemies of Britain are well aware of the fact. Consequently their whole strategy must be directed towards avoidance of American hostility. Unhappily for them, every day that they menace and violate the freedom of independent peoples, every day that they rob and murder and outrage humanity, they are rousing American hostility and causing the American people to erect barriers against the incursion into the New World of Nazidom and the Fascisti.

Perhaps no neutral authority is in a better position to judge the progress of the war that Brigadier-General George Strong, head of the United States Army Commission, who has returned to Washington after a month’s investigations in Britain. His conclusions, although grim, at least give confidence to the Empire. Britain will be able to defeat Germany after a long war, he said. He declared that the German air raids had not done serious military damage in Britain and had not affected the morale of the people. He did not believe there would be a decision this winter, and added that although British airmen had demonstrated their superiority over the Germans, the Royal Air Force had not yet reached its peak. America is making a rapidly expanding contribution towards the attainment of that peak, which in a long war of which General Strong speaks may be a major if not the decisive factor.