GREAT BRITAIN AND U.S.A.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LXI, Issue 17, 1 March 1940, Page 6

GREAT BRITAIN AND U.S.A.

BASIC FUNDAMENTALS

GREAT INTERNATIONAL CONNECTING LINKS

In a recent editorial article, the Christian Science Monitor, one of the leading and influential newspapers in the United States of America, commented upon basic fundamentals which connected both countries. The text of the article follows:

"The flurry of London-Washing-ton bickering is passing. It was well that the irritation over the opening of American mails and the detention of American ships should have come out in the open.

"British officials appear to be more aware of the risks of alienating American sympathy and more ready to improve their search for

contraband. The United States Post Office is" co-operating by rejecting "articles" for shipment to belligerents. And Americans now understand the British position much better. They had not realised the extent to which their mails were being used for contraband—even to the setting up of a German foodforwarding organisation in New York. Also, they have faced the fact that if delaying and censoring is annoying, sinking without trace is worse. "Moreover, Americans are touched by reminders that Britain ia fighting for her life—and for a lot of things Americans hold dear. Both peoples need to be awake to the danger that small differences will be made great. But such surface "spats," unless badly bungled or wilfully ballooned, are likely to bring both nations to a more complete facing of the fundamentals which link them. These fundamentals are material as well as spiritual.

"Americans who set out to-day

to examine their country's foreign relations are likely to find themselves agreeing with the conclusion Theodore Roosevelt reached in 1905. Writing to Edward VII at that time he said: 'I absolutely agree with you as to the importance, not only to ourselves but to all the free peoples of the civilised world, of a constantly growing friendship and understanding between the English-speaking peoples. ... In matters outside our borders, we are chiefly concerned, first with what goes on south of us, second with affairs in the Orient; and in both cases our interests are identical with yours.' "When we follow the lines of American interests abroad we find them coming back always to one point—Britain. Americans are vbe-j ginning to-day to realise that the Monroe Doctrine has been largely enforced by the British Navy. A few days ago Admiral Stark told a congressional committee that the United States Navy had to start on a new programme after Munich. Why? Because it could no longer be sure r that the British Navy would block the efforts of Fascist powers to penetrate Latin America. It began to look as if the American Navy would have to guard the Atlantic as well as the Pacific.

"In the Far East, Britain and America have been able to talk firmly to Japan, chiefly because they could speak with the same words if not one voice. To-day Singapore might be in great danger were not the American fleet the largest in the Pacific And what the United States can do to back up its action in abrogating the 1911 trade agreement with Japan may depend on Britain's position in Europe. Should the Japanese take drastic measures against American and British, nationals in China, what Washington could do might depend on whether London could subtract any ships from the blockade of Germany to aid the American fleet in the Far East.

the Finnish struggle shows the British-American connection. There probably would be no war in Finland to-day had not Britain dared to call a halt to German expansionism after it had overrun Austria and Czechoslovakia. And the dangers of American involvement will be far greater should the struggle go badly for either the Finns or the British. These are the plain material interests. The deeper ties of a common common law, of similar languages and traditions, of mutual regard for freedom, of religious fundamentals —all these are even more basic."

"Even