The Waikato Times. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1940 AMERICAN, SURVEY OF EUROPE

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21037, 13 February 1940, Page 4

The Waikato Times. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1940 AMERICAN, SURVEY OF EUROPE

Although President Roosevelt and his Ministers are at pains to emphasise that Mr Sumner Welles’ tour of Europe is not essentially a “peace move,” world-wide interest has been aroused in the survey which the United States is about to make. The aim of the United States is “to enable Mr Welles to advise Mr Roosevelt and Mr Cordell Hull, Secretary of State, of the present conditions in Europe,” and to endeavour to shape neutral opinion so that there will be some unanimity of outlook when the time comes to reconstruct the peace of Europe. Economic and diplomatic relations that should be established when the war ends will be the investigator’s chief concern, and therefore the mission is of the first importance not only to the neutral countries but to the belligerents as well. It would perhaps be unwise to expect immediate concrete results from the mission. Even Britain and France have found it impossible to define the exact terms of the peace which they hope to secure, for obvious reasons. The neutral investigator, however, will have certain advantages over any belligerent in his approach to neutral countries, especially as the reputation of the United States in its desire for improved international relations stands very high in all countries. Every important nation excepting Germany has expressed immediate and warm approval of the mission. That one exception possibly points to the weak link in the chain of agreement which Mr Welles hopes to establish, for the fact remains that Germany is the whole cause of the conflict. When the possibility of war was realised several years ago. many nations with peaceful intentions sent their envoys through the capitals of Europe on missions very similar to that which the United States is now undertaking. Always they came up against the hr ' wall of the Nazis’ ambition. Sacrifices and concessions were made and offered but still the Nazis pressed on unreasoningly with their schemes of expansion and domination. Even the infamous pact of Munich made no difference. And still the Nazis are unrepentant. America knows that is so; therefore no attempt is being made at active “ mediation.” But the United States is equally aware that there must be an end to the war, and when the arbitrament of arms has done its dreadful work, Mr Roosevelt desires to be ready to offer a plan of reconstruction in the diplomatic and economic spheres that will hold a prospect of banishing excuses for wars in the future. His conception is a noble one and every right-thinking people must welcome Mr Welles’ investigations. In the face of such a display of unanimity, can even Hitler afford to stand by sullenly and refuse to co-operate ? In this matter Hitler stands alone against the world, unless it be that his incongruous ally Stalin decides to ape his brother dictator. In the meantime the United States knows full well that only the defeat of Hitler or his capitulation to world opinion can make the discussion of a definite peace plan possible.