1941-03-01 — Page 5

Ahead On Points

Rightly or wrongly opinion in Britain believes that the war is entering on its final stage. That does not mean that there is a wave of optimism chasing away the December mists. On the con- trary, it is a deep, significant if rather tardy wave of intense real- ism.

It is rather like a prize fight in which a boxer who is behind on points knows that he can only win by a knock-out. Contrary to the popular impression the British be- lieve that it is they and not Hit- ler who are ahead on points and that if he does not secure the knock-out the verdict will be theirs.

Hitler's Italian gamble has gone wrong. That is evidenced not only in the sweeping victory of the Greeks and the smashing of the Italian Navy by the British Fleet

By Beverley Baxter, M.P.

but by the frantic efforts of Hit- ler to persuade Laval to bring France into the Axis us a sub- stitute for Italy.

Towards the East Hiller is held up by the firm attitude of Bul- garia, Turkey and Yugo-Slavia, strengthened by the heroic stand of the Greeks, Then there is of course Joe Stalin whose grin, like the Cheshire Cat, remains when all else disappears.

And even more than that is the coming oll shortage in Germany, especially lubricating oil. Certain- ly Hitler has won victories, more victories and still more victories -but not victory. There is a world of difference in the two.

Therefore, the British believe Hitler must stake everything on one-final coup, the defeat of Bri- tain herself.

Heavy guns are mounted on the French coast. Each night the Luftwade attacks in force some provincial centre in the Britisn Isles. The German submarines are taking reckless risks to sink Bri- tish shipping while their Air Force harasses the incoming convoys.

Robbed of Eire as a strategical base the British are at a sharp disadvantage in the matter of air patrol and anti-submarine war fare,

That is why the people of these

anything and everything to Islands are entering the last round

determination with

to endure hit

England; it began with Lord Chat-lieve that in either of these re-nexation, France may well revolt. | anxious to be known as that of back harder and harder until the

inarred.

Somewhere between them he to seeks to build the fulcrum which with the lever of German military power will enable him to shift the whole of Europe into the plane of his "new order."

-By- Edward Shanks

gong goes and Hitler is stretched on the canvas,

to be easy or that it will not leave No one thinks the fight is going cruel scars. Germany may be a frustrated giant but she is still a giant.

Some American newspapers, for instance, recently printed a num- ber of articles from their corres- pondents in London, taking a very gloomy view of Butish shipping prospects and war production, as affected by the enemy's air attack. The impression is being fostered (not without German assistance) that we are near the end of our resources, They comment fairly but very unfavourably on the a raid communiques, particularly on the suppression of names *! the larger towns bombed. They argue, not unnaturally, that these | laborious attempts to conceal the unconcealable cast doubt upon all) our official pronouncements; and so, looking for what may perhaps; be hidden beneath the words of. for instance, British Treasury ex- perts in Washinglon, they rouse suspicion that the plain statement of an urgent need for American help may misrepresent the facts in one of two Opposite ways. Either the situation is very much worse than Britain admits, or we are deliberately exaggerating its gravity in the hope of inducing America to assume a burden that we could well bear ourselves.

If our

American friends are capable of so misunderstanding Us, our spokesmen must have given them some reason. All enemy, such as the Editor of the "Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung," Let us take a look at the map Unfortunately for himself and feeding of the population of un- may reach similar results by mere- of Europe as ritler sees it to-day his partner, Mussolini allowed the | occupied France, swollen as it ly applying to British statements We will leave out of account the slogan of "Nice, Corsica, Tunis, was at the time of the armistice | the correction that the whole world Atlantic Ocean, where his sub Djibuti" to be shouted too loud by millions of refugees from the applies as a matter of course to marides are doing well enough to and too often for it now to be for-areas in which the fighting had those of Dr. Goebbels. According the Greeks are doing well enough

disquiet us, and Albania, where gotten.

Laken place. to this paper, a campaign of pesto disquiet him. His recent activi- If he announces his acceptance of that a Government purporting to It leaves Hitler in a dilemma. It needs little calculation to see simism is now being pursued

ties suggest that he does not be- this comprehensive scheme of an- be that of independent France, fleld's broadcast, and reached its gions will his fate be made o pinnacle with the late Lord Loth-

If he woos France to his side by independent France, would take a fan's observations In America.

load of administrative detail off Lord Chatfield, it will be remem-

his shoulders and stand between bered, called on his hearers

him and much damaging criticism. face the indubitable truth that the

But the main reason, in my enemy will be able to exert upon

view, was that he lacked the our Atlantic shipping in 1941 a

means of imposing his rule on yet threat that it may tax the resour-

another subject people. ces of the Navy to parry. The late Lord Lothian was the first to tell the President of the American people that our great purchases of munitions of war from them have nearly exhausted

available assets in the United States, and that the transfer of the much Perhaps when all this is over greater supplies which, for their we shall be able to cease speak- own sake as much as for ours, ing of the "collapse" of France they are eager to send us in the last June and begin to marvel at future, will raise fresh financial the fact that the process of her de- problems for British' and Ameri- feat was arrested just on the can statesmanship to solve, For hither side of real collapse. the Editor of the "D.A.Z." to admit Assuredly the events of the last the existence of a challenge to few weeks go to show that France the Navy is clearly the same thing-duzed, shaken, disanned as she as to surrender to it; and he is still does not lie quite help- claims in so many words that the less at the feet of her conqueror. Ambassador's analysis of the fin-; Hitler, who staged the stupidly ancial situation is a confession of vindictive armistice proceedings

We can measure her extremity Imperial bankruptcy.

in the railway carriage at Com- by the fact that she felt herself These absurd distortions spring piegne, now takes great pains to obliged to go from the native incapacity of the let the world know that he has pledged word not in any circumthis very efficiency set a limit to Nazi mind to comprehend the way received Marshal Petain with all stances to make a separate peace: in which public men in free coun- the honour due to a great soldier. Here we do not any longer blame the power of the Gestapo. Secret tries regard the disclosure of un- And still he has nothing out of her. We understand that her own police work is not the sort of in- palatable truth. With us it is a Marshal Petain which can be an- sense of helplessness must have dustry suitable for a large-scale

dilution of labour. fundamental right of the people to nounced to the world-save an been profound, before such a thing.

First you must get the right Europe is rising. The subject peo- happiness in Hitler-dominated hear it, a right limited only in empty, an almost perfunctory,.de- could have happened.

man-and they do not grow on war-time by the necessity of claration that France will co- But how is it that, since she was every bush. Then you must give ples have discovered that they withholding information from the operate with, Germany in some

In Nazi Germany, where yet unspecified way in the estab- she is now able to derange brutality of nature is by no means nothing of what they dread. From so helpless only a fow months ago, him an elaborate training: mere have gained nothing by submis- enemy.

sion. That they have been spared the people have no rights, it is lishment of an as yet unformulat- ler's diplomatic

enough.

this it is a short step to the reall- something only to be wrung from ed "new order."

accumulation of evidence that by turning against their masters, Now there is a rapidly growing sation, that they will lose nothing the tasks imposed on the Gestapo and they are already beginning are straining its resources to and to do it.

From all the way down the beyond the limit. It has not been as effective in Norway, Denmark, coasts of the Atlantic and the Holland, and Belgium as it was North Sea, from Narvik to Biar- resistance in Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Fritz, come stories of

varying from stubborn disregard It is quite probable that it re- of German orders to acts of dar fused to undertake the respon- ing and dangerous sabotage. sibility of administering the whole Hitler has surrounded himself of France. And it is to be observed and his country with a ring of hat- that on ineffective secret police red-far more deadly than the Fene can be worse than none because circlement" he professed to dread. its activities multiply the very The Gestapo cannot eradicate resentments which it ought to sup- that hatred or make it harmless, preșa.

and when the flme comes. It will There is ample evidence that express itself in terrible, vans this is happening. The tide of un« · guance,

our

This is a task for which Ger- man military power alone will not suffice. The problem has passed into the diplomatic field and, more than that, into the administrative field. France is the test case, and a very conspicuous one.

The new cult of realism also takes in the Important, perhaps We know that up to now the all important factor of Ameri- publicly assuring her that she wherever Hitler's shadow had can assistance. The British do not shall not greatly suffer, then Mus- fallen the Gestapo has marched in, ask for the life of a single Ameri- solini's subjects will want to know This disgusting organisation did can soldier. In spite of Mr. Joe why they are to be given so little marvellously efficient work (from Kennedy's fears we do not want of what they are promised.

Hitler's disgusting point of view) his sons to die on a foreign field France, I have said, is the lead-in Austria, Czechoslovakia, and or in a foreign sity.

Poland-and, of course, before But Britain must have ing case, and a very conspicuous one. But we can proceed from it any of these in Germany. to the others.

On the face of it France was left helpless under her conqueror's foot. It was worse than in 1870. Then she was in the war alone, and it depended on her alone whether she should surrender or not. But now she had an ally to

the sarne consider,

ally with whose help she had fought through to victory in 1918.

back from

scheme?

It is without doubt the most brilliantly efficient system of political police known in history, for which reason we should pay our respects to its disgusting or- ganiser, Heinrich Himmler, even as we put him on the drop.

It is founded on the Russian Ogpu, but it has improved on the lessons taught by that institution, and it is organised and run with German thoroughness instead of Russian slackness,

more

'planes and war material, She must have credits and above all she must have American ships. It is for Washington to determine the length of the war and whe- ther 'Britain will be the victor or merely one of the two exhausted combatants at the end. With full

American help there can only be one decision.

That is one more reason why Hitler is getting ready for a show- down with almost a fury of im- patience, The British wail in theiz But though the point seems not corner breathing her

normally and that the enemy will hit hard when to have been very much noticed, not even sweating but they know.

the bell goes,

The question to be asked and answer- the Government when visible de- The position is that France has ed is why Hitler left some men feat has made further deception still some counters left with which potential freedom of manoeuvre, sure of independence, some impossible. The comparative to bargain. She has not yet part- morality of the two systems is, noed with her ships, nor has she to the eighth of the independent doubt, a matter in which the Nazis left most of them where they can States which he struck down with

his military strength." are not interested. But even on be very easily, seized.

I suggest that it was because his the lower ground of expediency It would still be possible for the there is no question which is in Vichy Government, Provided it power to assimilate what he had conquered, had now conie to full the long run the more profitable acted boldly, swiftly, and secretly. flood and was due for the ebb. way-for all, that is, who have to transfer itself to North Africa, There must have been some rea- larger aims in view than the pro- where General Weygand is, so to son why he did not put at once longation of their personal tenure speak, keeping a place warm for and for all out of her power to of power The British people t

Interfere with his scheme by oc- have suffered severe setpacks, and Hitler Is in a position where he cupying her completely and re- confront an uphill fight. But they dare not press France too far, and maining in occupation until the are satisfied that they know the it hampers the whole scheme of whole scheme was completed. worst about bath, and they have his diplomacy, It puts him, for

!

Part of the reason, I have, no steeled themselves accordingly to example, into a very dimcult doubt, was that he désired to avoid resolution that will not flinch. position with regard to Italy, obvious responsibility for thơ

Poland.