A GREAT WHITE LIGHT

America has made up its mind about some things in the present war, but is still undecided about others. It approves aid to Britain, and will support any move to increase this aid, so long as it does not leave us dangerously weak. But it still has one great reservation--it has not decided as yet, that it is willing to go to the length of war to save Britain. President Conant said last night that unless we decide this question now, and decide it in the affirmative, the Axis powers will surely win: "The opinion is growing among qualified judges that such a defeat (of the Axis powers) is possible only if the American people without reservation will pledge the country's resources to that end." He would have the people pledge themselves to go to war, when and if "military experts" advise it. But military experts are never unanimous in their advice. Essentially the decision for or against war must be a political decision.

America is now at peace partly because war is unstrategic at the moment, partly because the people fear that war will wreck the country. If we were to renounce the latter reason, and base our non-belligerency on strategy alone, as President Conant would have us do, our aid to Britain would not increase any faster than it is now. Then why is this decision essential to a defeat of the Axis at the present time?

The decision of peace or war will be made by the people, not by "military experts." But a powerful propaganda agency has done much to swing public opinion toward war in the past few months--the William Allen White Committee, for which President Conant spoke. For a time, the Committee's ultimate aim was not made clear. It supported "all aid to England short of war." It has finally endorsed war openly. The American people can now make up their minds about the William Allen White Committee.

This Committee has concealed its motives in the past; perhaps it is concealing them still. Perhaps it is guilty of the direst accusations of the left. It may not be concerned with preserving a dynamic democracy in this country. Conscription, which it supported vigorously, is a weapon that can be used for an attack upon democracy. White himself recently said, in effect, that it was treason to oppose invasion of the European continent, for he asserted appeasement was treason, and defined appeasement as a stalemate peace leaving Germany in control of the continent. The Committee is now working for repeal of the Neutrality Act and the Johnson Act, and for sending more bombers, more destroyers to Britain.

But all this is harmless when compared to its effort of last night. Hardly a word was spoken of the dangers of war. What looked like a choice was presented to the people: "Do we as a free people agree that the Axis powers must be defeated?" Calm judgment, and weighing of the real alternatives are thus neatly dispensed with, and yet there is no blatant emotionalism to antagonize anyone. Thus does President Conant present the great question of the day.