The Evening Star TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 1941. AMERICAN FRIENDSHIP.

Evening Star, Issue 23907, 10 June 1941, Page 4

The Evening Star TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 1941. AMERICAN FRIENDSHIP.

The statement of Sir Evelyn Wrench, founder of tho English-speaking Union, that Hitler has done more for the cause of English-speaking unity than anyone else contains something in the nature of authoritative confirmation, of a widely held and growing opinion among tho people of both Great Britain and America. The path of Anglo-American friendship has not always run smoothly in the past, or at least so it has seemed to superficial observers and “ hit-and-run ” itinerant commentators belonging to both sides of tho Atlantic. Any differences that may arise between the two nations, however, seem to disappear of their own accord in a moment of mutual danger, which proves that, after all, they are of the “ family squabble ” type, reminiscent in some degree of the petty bitterness which arose some years ago between England and Australia over body-line bowling in cricket. Under present war conditions the “hands-across-the-sea ” gesture has become a firm clasp, and. for the sake of the future of civilisation every effort must be made to establish is as a token of permanent unity. With Sir Evelyn Wrench, most people will have -faith in the coming together of tho Englishspeaking peoples as the only hope for civilisation. Sir Evelyn himself, .on his arrival in Auckland from America, said he had never seen anything like the immense speeding-up of American preparedness and that he could not conceive the United States withholding anything if it came to the last resort. For a time industrial unrest, due to the treachery to democracy of professional agitators paid by foreign Powers, held up the full operation of the defence programme in America, and on the Pacific coast it appears that harmony has not yet been quite established. It is stated by competent observers, however, including Captain It. F. B. Baynes, who also gave an interview in Auckland yesterday after his arrival from America, that over 80 per cent, of United States opinion favours full aid to Britain. “ The percentage against us, from whom the isolationists draw their strength,” declared Captain Baynes, “ are mostly in the factories. They are people who have not been in America for many years and have been drawn from various countries of Europe. The real Americans are with us wholeheartedly.” Such factory workers as these may at heart bo not so recalcitrant. as is suggested in cabled news of strikes, but it is possible that they would be fair game for the agitators. That President Roosevelt is determined to end industrial strife in all parts of the country and put defence production into full operation is proved by the manner in which the army, under his instructions, was used to settle the trouble in the North America Aviation Company’s plant at Inglewood, California. The latest report is that the strike has been .broken and that the employees, under satisfactory conditions, are streaming back to work. One of the most encouraging features of the negotiations was the stand taken against Communist would-be saboteurs by the leader of the workers’ organisation. Fortunately it has dawned on the great majority of workers that it is democracy which preserves their freedom, not Communism.