EUROPE & JAPAN Versus the ENTIRE WORLD.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4510, 18 March 1941, Page 3

EUROPE & JAPAN Versus the ENTIRE WORLD.

(■Copyright by P.P.S-)

The Soviet, American, Swedish, Japanese' and some British commentators on economic .and military outlook are decisively pessimistic An - regard to a possible limitation of the AxisBritish conflict to the European and African spheres. A whole pyramid of printed opinion agrees that this year will, involve alt live Continents jin a general conflagration.. Even Russia, which planned to stay outside the' conflict until the “imperialistic Powers” tear each other to pieces',

fears to be swept into the maelstrom against her wisiu Else what is the meaning of the .Soviet expenditure on defence amounting to some threo-and-a-half thousand million of sterling within the coming year?

Much has been said and written about Italy and Germany getting near a complete exhaustion of oil, metals and other war materials. Yes, Italy is de facto economically prostrated, which partly explains her moral* and military defeats. Japan’s* position in the economic sense is very delicate owing to the war in China and shortage of war materials, aggravated by American and Canadian embargoes. But .America’s ;impreparedness, her remoteness as well as preoccupation with help l to Britain, plus Britain's preoccupation in Europe and the Middle East, all these factors place the Japanese Navy in a strong strategic position which enables her diplomats to extort some materials from the Pacific countries and from Latin-Americ-a. Wishing to avoid an open conflict with Japan, many British possessions, the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines, Malaya, French. IndoChina simply must placate Japan. In this sense Japan is- storing materials and occupying one base after another without firing a shot-. The occupation of Norway, the de : feat of France and Italy's entry into war have isolated Europe from oversea. trade exchange. The Nazi propaganda, using the arguments of British blockade, control of raw materials avid of shipping routes, succeeded in persuading nearly all European States to co-operate with Germany economically, which inevitably led to political and eventually military domination by Germany. That is the story of Rumania, Bulgaria and Hungary in a nutshell. And, unfortunately, we must fear it will he the story of Yugoslavia as well. Disunited, quarrelling with each other over territorial claims, rotted with fifth-col-umnist® in the middle and upper classes, penetrated with Nazi cultural 1 trade, and dozens- of other missions, swarming with Nazi “tourists'’"' and spies, they were forced to trade with Germany and Italy their agricultural surplusses and raw materials in order to provide masses of peasantry, town proletariat, shopkeepers and intelligentsia with small cash and thus prevent discontent and , disintegration favouring Germany. Greece and Turkey arc in a different category because Britain retains control of Mediterranean shipping. The same applies to Franco, especially as Weygand controls the French forces in Africa. So Long as 1 the British Navy is mastering the Middle S'ea, can Retain defy Hitler’s demands. Yet the main industries of France are occupied by Germany and work for Hitler’s war-machine. French Norwegian, Swedish, Czechoslovak, Belgian, Switzerland, Austrian and other engineering and chemical plants are strengthening Germany. The railways of all Europe are choked with every delapitated vehicle the- Nazi could command, all bringing raw materials to ton thousands of German controlled factories. Germany is denuding Europe of metals, foodstuff, oil and coal reserves to feed the Nazi forces. Many industries have never experienced such strain upon their plants while others are either converted to the manufacture of military equipment or shut down. Germany would not hesitate to command church bellvs, door-handles, and ail metal articles, textiles of alt description. To keep the hostile masses from 'revolt/Germany tries to rope into the Axis as many countries as possible .by “peaceful means.”

Roosevelt understands the situation: Europe’s resources against Britain and her Allies. Hence this war will be fought under the heading: Europe -Japan against British Empire-Amer-ica. It will he a battle of world’s resources against a gigantic organisation of Europe. The arbiter of this colossal conflict will he timespeed