It was. dificult for. American. opens jon to adjust itself to.the new change in the belligerent line-up. There was-that Communism might communist menace.
Before any newspaper could comment on the German Invasion British. Primes had. spoken.
e Sunday papers. ofi June
over the air-and tind-nailed American opinion. down to the: bard reality of Hitler as the real enemy. He spoke before. the thei of the public had time to. crystallize in. adverse forms: The following day this same sentiment was rammed home in a statement made by Acting of. State Sumner Welles (Secretary Hull was on vacation). He added the necessary ingredients to assure a favourable public opinion! Both Naziism. and Communisnr- were intolerable to the American people, particularly because of their denial of freedom of worship, but at the same. time "any rallying of the forces opposing Hitlerism from whatever source these forces may spring. will hasten the eventual downfall. o the present German leaders, and. will therefore redound to the benefit of our own defence and security,"
Yet, despite these efforts made to keep American public opinion from being misled by the new- turn the war had taken, there was. a. very apparent tendency to wait and see what the outcome of the struggle would be. before any. action. Newspaper commentators and preallied speakers pointed out very ed, they maintained, the opportunity. perhaps the last, opportunity. for dealing with Hitler in the Atlantic and on the Atlantic coast while~his back was t towa! East. The time might not be long, the German divisions might. sweep through Russia ín a few months and then Hitler could turn without fear of any attack-on. his rear to the job of subduing Britain,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.