If it subsequently transpires that startling decisions have been made at the extraordinary session of President Roosevelt's War Cabinet to act on his request for greatly expanded bomber production for the purpose of giving the Democracies command of the air, it will not be surprising. That development has to be linked up with the striking speech which Col, Henry L. Stim-Son, Secretary of War broadcast throughout the. United States yesterday when he strongly advocated the use of the United "States Navy to safeguard shipments of war supplies to Great Britain. It will be noticed that throughout the development of his policy of assistance to Great Britain President Roosevelt has not forced the pace, but has rather allowed growing public opinion in the United States to oblige him to act. That means in effect that he is translating public opinion into governmental action, and his position is thereby greatly strengthened. What is clear is that, if he ventured to make any move without being sure of the support of the masses, he would lay himself open to criticism which might have an unfortunate effect upon the execution of the policy of giving all out assistance to the Democracies resisting Hitlers attempt to impose a new order—or rather a new disorder,—upon the world, Col Stimson made it quite clear to his listeners that Great Britain and her Allies, fighting for the cause of Democracy, are in-fact fighting for the defence of the United States, "If today that navy (United States') should make secure the seas for delivery of our munitions to Great Britain," he said, "It will render as great a service to our country and the preservation of American freedom as has ever been rendered in all its glorious history." Obviously such a speech must have received the President's prior approval, for it is regarded as being the most outspoken utterance yet made by a responsible Government official regarding the war situation, Col, Stimson minced no words with his hearers, "Germany," he said, "has confronted' the world, including the United States, with the alternative of abject surrender. or uncompromising resistance. 1 cannot recall that the United States throughout its history has ever yielded to such a demand." No nation which prides itself in its manhood would dream of doing anything else. No man worthy of the name would do anything but resist Hitler's attempts to set the clock back five centuries and establish conditions which would be satisfactory only to such men of dark, medieval minds as those possessed by himself and his henchmen. And in entinciating that doctrine Col. Stimson pointed. out. at only, by the effectiver cooperation of the United! States with the resisting democracies will it be possible to defeat Hitler's ambitions, In his view the United States Navy with that of Great Britain can render all seas secure which surround the American continents. They can do more. Together they can surmount Hitlers submarine and air blockade of the British Isles, Even now it is not so succéssfel as he would like the world to believe, but with the two great democratic Powers acting together the northern Atlantic can be made safe, and-the delivery of the much needed war material to Great Britain ensured. That, it is quite apparent, Hitler now recognizes. Hence the renewed attacks upon British ports, His theory seems to be that, if it is impossible to prevent ships reaching the British Isles, the only thing remaining to be done is to damage the port facilities as much as possible in order to delay the turnaround as much as possible and consequently reduce the speed with which American supplies can'be delivered.
Thus the world now sees the men who during the last two decades have been working assiduously for peace brought to realizafion that there can be no peace until the ambitions of ruthless men have been brought to naught. There can be no security in the world until the aggressor Powers are shown that aggression cannot pay, that force settles nothing, that the future of the world must be governed by a universal determination to settle international disputes by judicial means. That the history of the relations between the United States and Great Britain for a long time past has shown to be entirely possible. The fight has to go on until the forces of law and order gain the day again. Those forces carry with them a spiritual reinforcement which the very material criminality of the dictators can never hope to: possess. Those forces will ultimately triumph, and the Government of the United States, backed by public opinion, is increasingly determined to assist them with all the resources at their disposal.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.