A BACKGROUND OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 82, 31 December 1940, Page 6

A BACKGROUND OF THE WAR

U.S. Aid To Britain UNANIMITY OF PUBLIC OPINION Recent assertions that American public opinion has lately been markedly more emphatic in support of increasing help to Britain are borne out by the results of Gallup polls. The latest ones show that 60 per cent, of the people are in favour of greater help for Britain, even at the risk of (heir country becoming involved in the war, and that $0 per cent, believe that Hitler intends if he can to enslave Europe and control world trade and industry. The result of the first of these polls reveals a particularly notable swing of thought, considering that all the stress so far has been on giving all aid short of war. Nevertheless, it has to be remembered that President Roosevelt has just reiterated that the Government’s policy is to avoid involving the United States in war while at the same time assisting Britain to the gyatest possible extent. Gallup Polls

The Gallup polls have now become a regular feature of American life. Scientifically planned to ensure that they record the views of a representative cross-section of the people, they may be accepted as reflecting with a considerable degree of accuracy the general feelings of the people as a whoie. Apart from the polls mentioned above, others not quite so recent have shown a striking degree of national unity of thought on some of the most difficult questions immediately facing the nation. Dr. Gallup, the director of the American Institute of Public Opinion, which-conducts the polls, said a few weeks ago that in the short time which had elapsed since the presidential election, the institute had tested the American attitude on most of the vital issues of the day. Attitude Clear

“Today this much is clear for the world to read,” be said about a month ago. “Despite sharp differences over domestic policies and candidates during the election campaign, there is surprisingly little difference among American voters on questions of national defence and foreign policy. “Take the question of increased aid to Britain. Both President Roosevelt and Mr. Wendell Willkie indicated that their policy would be to increase this aid by almost every means short of intervention in the war itself. Where do the people stand? “To answer this question the institute put the following questions to American voters in the closing days of the campaign: ‘lf it appears that England will be defeated by Germany and Italy unless the United States supplies her with more food and war materials, would you be in favour of giving more help to England?’ Here are the survey replies: Yes 90 per cent. No’ • 10 per cent. Added Aid Only one voter in 17 said he was undecided on the question, leaving a net 54.6 per cent, favouring added aid. Ninety-two per cent, of Democrats favoured increased help and 87 per cent, of Republicans voted the same way. Even the dividing of the country into geographical sections revealed no substantial difference of opinion, the percentages in favour of greater aid to Britain in the terms of the question varying only between a maximum of 94 per cent, in the south and a minimum of 86 per cent, in the east central area.” Dr. Gallup said that surveys during the campaign showed there had been equally great agreement, that the United States should stay out of the European war unless attacked. Majorities of as much as nine to one had been recorded in favour of enlarging the armed forces, 76 per cent, of voters had said they would be willing to pay special extra taxes for national defence, and there had been majorities of nearly nine to one in favour of taking up arms if necessary to prevent an Axis attack on Canada or the Latin American territories in the vicinity of the Panama Canal. Spies’ Methods

The two spies who were recently executed in Loudon, it is now revealed, had at dusk each evening erected their radio aerials and transmitted to tb<> enemv the information they had obtained during the day. Their nights they had spent hiding in woods, quarries or uninhabited buildings. A full confession was made by the two men—Josef Waldberg, a German, aud Karl Meier, a Dutchman of German origin. An officer of the British anti-espionage service said that the two men had hidden their powerful transmitting set in an empty house. Each morning they emerged from their hiding-place to gather more information. They were in possession of an ample quantity of English banknotes. They said their instructions were to give detailed reports on the location and types of various military objectives, and on the location and concentrations of British troops, gun emplacements and munition dumps.. They were also to mix among the civilian population in trains, buffets and public houses, listening carefully for careless talk. Detection Difficult

“We must not rely on the dangerous assumption that the spy menace has been completely eradicated,” said the officer. “Modern methods of transport and communication facilitate a spy s work and detection is becoming increasingly difficult because of the presence of so many foreigners in Britain. “An English accent heard in Berlin might immediately betray a British agent, but a. foreign tongue in Britain today does not even call for comment.” British anti-espionage men, he said, had been on the track of the two spies for some time and once or twice they had eluded capture very narrowly. Trial In Secret

Only the 12 jurors—whose names were drawn out of a ballot box —know the inside story of the spies' trial. Each of the jurors was sworn to secrecy and not one word leaked out from them, though the trial took place three weeks before the news waj announced. N‘ou<’ of the jurors was specially selected and the prisoners were given an opportunity of objecting to any of them if they so wished.

The earlier police court hearing was brief, but here also the greatest care was taken to prevent unauthorized persons entering. Only police officials knew what was going on in the locked court.

A third man. arrested at the same time as these two and found guilty with them, was also later executed after delay because the question of a plica I arose.