1941-03-22 — Page 7

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THE CHINA MAIL, MARCH 22, 1941.

CHINA MAIL Britain Will

WINDSOR HOUSE

VICHY FRANCE

The war as I see it?

'Page 7

WIN

with a Hitler victory or defcat. certain that German civilian mor- tries from which Hitler must draw Here is one bit of interesting testi- ale will begin, however imper- such a vital part of his sinews for re-mony which I can vouch for. Last ceptibly at first, to crack. That

October two German business men | moment, I believe, will

"war. Much more could be said but went to Bucharest, lice many during the spring of 1942, if not it would merely reinforce the un-

am no more

"take over" Jewish somewhat before then, owned concerns. The Nazis were

tremely anti-Semitic.

come

derlying fact that the Nazis run When I say that Hitler will terrific risks and face almost cer- have o conquer the British Isles tain defeat, unless they can knock within six months or tose the out the British Isles before au- war, I have several things in mind:

tumn. If Hitler loses his great gamble, the tempo of Nazi col- lapse when it comes-is likely to Bai- astonish a great many people,

The Jewish proprietors didn't dare ask for anything more than a moderate price for their busi- First, that Nazi leaders have surprised admitted to their pro-Axis sym- when the Germans immediately pathisers throughout the

General Weygand's, in- After 17 months of terview in Algiers has porting the Second World been interpreted as dash- War, working in or travel- others to ing British hopes that ling through 21 coun-occupying Rumania and the North Africa may even tries, you naturally reach Bucharest Government was ex- tually be detached from some conclusions. Cer- the Vichy regime. Much tainly I more interesting and im- infallible than my col- portant, however, was the leagues, correspondents in clear indication of Gen- all parts of Europe, of eral Weygand's loyalty to whom I am proud to say I a Vichy Government have never known one which is determined not, not a single one to be a pawn in Hitler's personal integrity could hands. North Africa will be questioned. resist any attack from

whose

war, correspondents use all

ness but they were

By Leland

Stowe

one

I am of the opinion, though many are not, that Hitler, need- ing a blitzkrieg victory some- where, will

Soviets strike the eventually, perhaps before an- other 12 months are Anished. If hr fails to conquer the British whatever quarter it In their battle for the facts of

Isles, he may very well try to comes, said General Wey- thes, initive and experi-sand the price was perfectly fair | kans, ever since last June,

frighten the British into a peace gand, "and North Africa, ence which

fact-namely, that apply and closed the deal without bar-important is theirs it

settlement by taking over the is France."

Sunelmes we are misled. Some-

When everything Hitler's whole strategy was based

breadbusket of the Ukraine. Stalin tunes we cannot tell all that we gaining at all.

defeating Britain before know or believe to be true.

was settled, one of the Germans upon turned to the Rumanian Jews and large-scale shipments of Ameri- might go or receive a mortal blow can war materials could reach the [ or become another Nazi prisoner, said.

British.

like Mussolini. But the great Second. that the same Nazi Russian open spaces also lured have admitted they Napoleon to his duom. spokesmen must win the war before the U.S. could possibly enter it.

to

There is no reason find in this any justifica- tion for illusions about Marshal Petain's position. Vichy's Chief of State is an authoritarian and would go a long way on the lines of collaboration with Berlin laid down at his

on

When it comes to interpretation and judgment we are ble every-

"Well, we have lost the war. body else, we have to do the best But that's not the worst of it. The we can with whatever logie and

terrible thing is this, When this perception we have been endowed

war is over, the German people with or have accumulated. These,

will take the place of the Jews then, are my conclusions --based

all over Europe. We will be the upon the most careful analysis of only persecuted, hated race in all what i have seen and observed

Europe Wherever German troops are now stationed. Europeans will

and upon the most measured con- sideration I am capable of mak-

at the present time.

I believe that Hitler will have

to invade the British Isles, and in- vade them successfully, within the

next six months at a maximum-

or Hitler will surely lose the war,

Wherever Germans shoot them. appear, people will want to des- troy us. That's the thing that is worse than lusing the war?"

No. I don't Germans

feel this way but I know why this businessman spoke as

Third, that their major battle- front must be on the propaganda front -to strengthen all the forces of isolationism inside America and to foster both defeatism and pro-Nazi sentiment in the US.

Montoire meeting with Herr Hitler. M. Petain was willing to take

Fourth, that Balkan conditions M.

warn very clearly know how many

of one thing Laval back, but not

- if the war goes into next winter. to-day, terms which would

German

Germany's raw material and food have ended his own con-

he did. supplies and her economic strain

are certain to become an increas It reminds me of another bit of trol and set up a "colla-fence forces and the British peo- testimony from a

I believe that the British de-

ingly grave handicap. Japanese na- boration" that

been commander wh had would ple can and will repel the Nazi val have broken the armistice invasion, however terrifically stationed for some years in Ger- After France capitulated - provided only that America he was one of a select group of supplies Britain with all the war pro-Nazi naval officers who were 21 tour of all Dutch, materials it is capable of produc- taken on

and French seaports. ing, capable of getting along with- this period, out and capable of sending during

agreement and disgraced France.

close it may come to succeeding many.

I believe that a moment of enormous strain and acute crisiy

Belgian showed them what

The Nazis they were doing and explained how they were going to invade Britain. On his way back 10 Tokyo the Japanese naval com-

speaking to mander,

a Balkan statesman who was an old ac- quaintance, made this remark:

In Marshal Petain the Nazis have run into a man of character. He thinks agreements should be kept. He is not pro-Ger-will probably come when the fate man or pro-English, but] of Britain and the fate of free parliamentary government pro-French, and primari- throughout the remainder of the ly interested in holding world will be decided, more than anything else, by American states- together as much as pos- manship and American nerves. sible from the wreckage

I believe that the war will be of last June. He will use won, for the freedom of the Ger- .the English victories in man people and for the freedom Africa against Germany. continents of the world unless the He must allow occupied American people are stampeded France to be used as a tie resignation when the hour for nel port preparations, is the opin

This, after inspecting the Chan- base against Britain un-ironclad firmness and complete ion of a Japanese naval comman- der the armistice terms. comprehension comes.

der. Perhaps his 40 years were a But he now sees that Bri I believe the war will last for figure of speech, but certainly he tain may win and he will two or three more years. But if it cut through to one of the most continues that long, I believe it he cited the incalculable impor- powerful factors in this war when not weaken France to will bring the inevitable efface-tance of "British nerves." help the Nazis if he can shevism of Hitler and Red Bol- avoid it.

of hundreds of millions on all five

into a blind ostrichism and fatalis-

The problem of future supplies of heavy lubricating oils for aero- planes and submarines is already of great concern for Germany, and it threatens to prove an Achilles' heel for the Nazis if the war goes on for many more months.

We have been reading the testi- mony in Washington of various slide-rule experts, some of whom insist that Britain didn't have a chance to win the war. I don't re- call that the slide-rule experts have paid much attention to the British victories In Africa, or to the vast transportation and sup- ply problems in the Balkans, or to the fiercely anti-Nazi sentiment of the great majority of the peo- ple who live along these lines of transportation.

Most important of all-and important beyond the power of words to portray-I

don't recall that those who have been diagnos- ing the war without any first- Germany's stores of heavy oils hand observation on the farflung are reported to be dwindling steadily and the Rumanian oil battle fronts of Europe have paid fields are deficient in this vital any attention whatever to the kind of oil. But Italy, too, must human equation in the fighting depend uniquely upon German and winning of wars. and Rumanlan stores for her:

Caucasusi

"The Nazis think they can future gasoline and oils. In a I have been with the Spaniards. invade Great Britain. Do you longer war how can the Axis keep have been with the Finns. I want to know how long it will going, with warplanes and sub- have been with the Greeks, and be before they can invade the marines and

motor transport also with the British. It happens British Isles? Forty years, mon- operating at full potentialities, that I have been with four differ- they can do nothing against Bri- more gasoline and oil from some done on the field of battle pre- sieur. Forty years. Their 'planes, unless the Nazis get a great deal ent peoples, all of whom have

tish nerves. British nerves will where?

cisely what all the watching world win this war. Don't make any

thought was impossible. They mistake about that."

The Nazis could get them either were the under-dogs. They were. by going through Turkey to the terribly handicapped by inferiority Turks will let them. Or by going should have been beaten right at Mosul oil fields in Iraq-if the

in weapons of all kinds. They

all the way to the Baku felds in the start, and yet they performed Russia's Southern

military miracles. The experts, they invade the Ukraine or per- the specialists on production capa- sunde Stalin to cooperate at his cities and performance Mosul or Baku, there would re- own suicide. In the case of either chines, had everything right from the mechanical angle-and yet main the stupendous obstacle of they were stupendously, humiliat- railroad transportation. This is ingly wrong. Throughout eight months of the what renders most terrific punishment that any proportion of Rumania's gasoline tune to have reported wars with

the overwhelming

I have had the great good for- nation has ever taken, the nerves production unavailable of the British people have never many now, for she was able to find those who have fought as their been shaken. According to uni- transportation facilities for only adversaries never knew versal testimony of on-the-spot about 200,000 tons per month, by fight. I have had the privilege of is the measure of the Nazi before the conflict ends-and still observers their nerves have not rail and by the Danube, during being with those men and women

been touched. let alone shaken the last months of 1940. This, more than anything else,

So far he has been suc- cessful in saying "No." That he has so been able

ment of both the brown Bol-

shevism of Stalin.

If he fails to conquer the Bri- tish Isles, I believe

Hitler will shatter or destroy the Soviet Sy- stem or take over part of Russia

lose the war.

Than In The Balkans

more concrete than one. obser-

ple on earth.

to Ger-

of ma-

how to

even with

again, the history of mankind and made it what it is.

who have shown the

greatest recognition that the y

fighting hearts of our generation, is due to one thing. At this have not won the French.

This is saying a very great

juncture of human history (per- Soviet Russlá. would let

It seems highly improbable that I have learned that it is not ma- deal, and I may be mistaken of

Hitler chines alone that hold overwhelm. That he could continue to several points or heaven forbid haps we had better not say de- take over the Ukraine and the ing war forces at bay and win

the British velopment) But this is hold back should they find-on most of them.

people Baku oil fields without a Aght. victories which stun the imagina- what I believe,

are so incredibly fortunate as to But even if Stalin let the Nazis in tion of people all over the world. it absolutely essential to

have been born with what comes to manage and organise railroad very close to being the lowest transportation, Germany's extend- It is the men and women who - move into the western More Defeatism In U.S. quota of imagination of any peo-ed lines of supply would be for-fight with machines,

Mediterranean, is not clear. Nor is the develop-

midably long and most dangerous fewer machines or with inferior ly exposed to sabotage. Just as machines, who turn the tide of Because they are an astonish-railroad communications become battles and wars. Leave out the ing role of Admiral Darr Now to a few things which are

ingly practical people, and so increasingly exposed to "accl- human heart and you have reject- lan. Indications now are were considered opinions are not tormented by vivid im- dents" after the Nazis troops oc- ed the only element that has that the Nazis have decid- begin with, there is the matter of aginations, the British masses go cupted Rumania, and now Bui changed, again and again and

about their routine war duties garia, ed that the Balkans are a featisun which is current in many courage and confidence that would the extraordinary amount of de amid showers of bombs. with a more promising field of parts of the U.S. about Britain's otherwise be incomprehensible, soldiers in the world to patrol

You ask me about the war as operations. In Berlin chances.

From the beginning, "British every mile of track through all of I see it, nerves" have been ready and con- south-eastern Europe and deep Admiral Leahy, the In five days in America I heard | stituționally adjusted for a long into southern Russia. And there

As I see it the British people- American Ambassador, is more defeatism about Britain, war,

are millions of Balkan people and I said the people can win described as playing a countries throughout the entire than I heard in four Balkon

who are daily more interested in and will win the war against Everyone in Europe knows that the breakdown or blocking of Nazism. There is no doubt what- "retarding role" at Vichy, month of October. These Balkan the nerves of the German people, supply trains into Germany, es-ever about their being able to do. He seems certainly to peoples were living under Hitler's after eight years of war prepara-pecially carloads of food for which it. They will do it and Hitler.

heel or under his bootstraps. To tions cannot remotely measure up. they will be quite hungry in an-¡ and Nazism will be a nightmare- have strengthened me the defeatism among many You might as well compare Hit- other winter.

of a memory within two or three French hope in British Americans doesn't quite make ler's nerves with those of Win

years if the American people ston Churchill, When Britain has These are but a few illustrative give the British all the "tools" they victory. Basically that is

something faintly approaching air stants on the dangers to Germany need, without fear, and (without the main support for the testimony of some

Perhaps we ought to consider equality with Germany and a good of a war that goes beyond this stint, and see to it that they get persons many... squadrons of long-range | year, from the angle of the situa- | them and get them fast, regard- Marshal Petain's “No.” who are very closely concerned' bombers, you can be absolutely flon in those south-eastern:coun- | less of circumstances,

sense...

There are not enough German