NOTES AND COMMENTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24078, 24 September 1941, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS

PROTECTORS OF THE WEAK j \v e have to recognise the fact tli.lt I not nil free nations possess tho military j power and the industrial and material j resources to enable them successfully to defend their national freedom against a powerful aggressor possessed of modern military equipment, says Sir Rowland Kvaus in a pamphlet, "bet It Roll." fn practice, therefore, leadership and responsibility tor the defence of freedom must rest primarily upon those countries which possess not only the will to defend it. but also the necessary military power and industrial and material resources. Upon •which countries must that leadership and responsibility fall? Obviously, upon Britain and the United States of America. CONSECRATED FORCE "The astounding achievement of the Nazi regime in Germany, in reducing to barbarism what we had thought the exceedingly advanced intellectual structure of German education is a terrible object lesson in the destructive power of an educational system," said the Archbishop of York, Dr. Temple, in an address at London University. "11 peace is an ideal, and represents something for which it is worth while to dedicate the energies of great masses of mankind. it must be something more th in a temporary absence of lighting. I oiler this as a definition of peace—goodwill, effectively asserted against greed. I affirm my quite clear conviction that not only in this war, and not only in times of special stress, but at all times, because of the nature of men and women, force is an indispensable element in the ordering of human lite. Our task is not to eliminate force, hut to consecrate force. Law must have force put at its disposal in order that there may be no lawless use of force. Fart of our aim must surely he to dedicate force for the upholding of justice between nations and for the upholding of international law." NAZI PROPAGANDA DILEMMA German war communiques are now first of all propaganda. The flaming rhetoric, the blazing figures, the radio trumpets and the music are all primarily addressed to morale on the home front. If public morale lives on official communiques, then the German people should be sitting on top of the world, with a million Russian prisoners and three times as many Russians killed or wounded. But then, again, is it the very best kind of propaganda for Hitler's cause in the United States? And in Berlin they are giving much anxious thought to the United States. Ever since Russia's wholly unexpected stand against the Nazi armies American isolationists have been saying that now more than ever we have no reason to he afraid of Hitler. The story of Napoleon in Russia is being re-enacted, and Americans have every reason to keep cool in the matter of taxes, Army service, foreign bases, everything. But

j what becomes of this argument if Hit- | ler announces that with moderate Ger- ! man losses he has destroyed four mil- | lion Soviet soldiers in dead, wounded i jor prisoners: It the Nazi military j I machine is doing better than ever in j 1 Russia, how can American tears be! | lulled? If the price paid in German j j lives has really been small, as Hitler j I says, he has succeeded in setting a new ; I world's record in wholesale slaughter | j for any comparable period. But do j people recall Hitler's reason why he j was compelled to turn against Russia:] He was convinced that Stalin was making ready to jump on Germany s back as soon' as she was seriously occupied elsewhere. How much danger was there for Germany from an enemy whom Hitler, with only very moderate losses, can clean up to the extent of four million dead, wounded and prisoners in six weeks? DURATION OF THE WAR Estimates of the duration of the war have no excessive value; psychological and other incalculable 1 actors play too large a part for reliable prediction to be possible, notes ".Janus'' in the Spectator. But lest the injection of Russia into the conflict should inspire unduly optimistic expectations, it is worth while noting a declaration made in America bv Sir Gerald Campbell, who has just ceased to be British Minister at Washington in order to take over the , organisation of British news in the United States. The planning, ho said, speaking, ol course, with full official 1 knowledge, pointed to the autumn of : 1912 ns the moment when United States production would begin to reach_ full ! flood adding, "it is not false optimism 1 to believe that 194:1 will see Germany on the defensive." Most people would fail to see any optimism at all in that belief. It would mean that this war. with its vastly accelerated tempo, would last as long as.its predecessor, i That, on various grounds, seems unlikely. However, it is elementary wis--1 dom' to base all our plans on the . assumption that the unlikely may • happen. _________ > " ~~~