Aug. 28.
The rapidity with which Great Britain and the United States are proceeding from dis cussions to action in connection with the perfection of the defences of democracy, and mote particularly the improvement of the defences of the United States themselves, is) to be noticed in the announcement by Major= General Denis Bernard, retiring Governor of the Bermudas, that the use of the Bermuda harbour was being granted as a naval and air base. The announcement suggests that what were merely regarded as preliminary conversations last week were somewhat more advanced than was originally supposed, or that. consideration of the matter has been necelerated during the last few days. Situ ied well out ju the Aulantic and equidistant from Halifax in the north and the Bahamas in the south, Bermuda Harbour is a fine strategic position from which to defend the whole of the Atlantic coast of North America, and the establishment of a powerful naval and air base there would greatly assist in the protection of the important in= dustrial areas in the eastern states against fan enemy attack.
That enemy Is obviously Germany, for there is no other European nation likely at any time to seek war with the United States, while the ambitions of Hitler in this respect are only too well known. Washington is Still negotiating with Great Britain and cor tain of the South American republics for further bases along the Atlantic, and when these are brought 10 a successful conclusion, which is confidently expected, it is believed that the United States will be in an almost impregnable position so far as the control of the Atlantic seaboard is concerned. It will, of course, be some time before Bermuca can fitted to play the important role selected for it, Channels will have to be dredged ov blasted through the reefs, ju order that ilities for reaching the harbour shall be Increased to meet the demands which war would inevitably create, while the fortifica~ tion of the many islands included in the jup should have the effect of creating as powerful an outpost as the British have erected at Singapore. The possibility of Britain granting leases for bases as far north Newfoundland and os far south as the West Indies means that the United States ave anxious to establish as complete a de fence of the eastern coast as possible. The preparation of these bases will apparently he coincident with the huge extension of the US. Navy, plans for which provide for stifieient forces to maintain two fleets able to handle those of any other Power, one in the Atlantic and the other in the Pacific. Both of them will be self-contained units with the result that the Panama Canal while still of considerable importance under the new tavrangement will be better defertded on the tone hand, and on the other not quite so} overwhelmingly essential as it is at the pre~ sent time, This present development and those others which are expected need octasian no surprise, Inthe light of the Hillerian menace they are inevitable, and there need be no wonder that Great Bri is so willing to assist in this matter.
The possibility of Great Britain and the United States going to war with each other is remote in the extreme, Whitehall can view with the utmost complacency the crea= tion of fleets by the United States larger than those which Great Britain at present possesses or is likely to possess, for theirs will be an entirely defensive role under control of a Government which seeks no territorial extensions, but is determined to preserve the possessions it holds. The latest enemy gibe concerning the granting of the: hases at Bermuda Is that this represents the first sign of the crumbling of the British Empire, That is but just another example of the wishful thinking in which Berlin so persistently indulges. It is, of course, nothing of the sort. Rather is it an accession strength for the protection of the Americas ayainst European invasion involves the pro~ tection of valuable British possessions at the same time. That is demonstrated by the decision of the American and Canadian Governments to confer on problems of common defence, while the protection afforded by the Monroe doctrine cannot but be reinforced by the Bermuda decision and those others which it is confidently expected the Shanghai will he announced shortly.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.