The Other Corner

(The Crimson is instituting "The Other Corner" as a means of expression for members of the board who differ with the paper's editorial policy on the war. This new column will be initialied, and will represent the opinion of the writer only.)

To those who know and love France, its fall is a hard blow; to them it means the defeat of a beautiful civilization and a way of life which they felt was unconquerable. To the many more Americans who have had very little contact with France personally, its fall is beginning to mean a threat to the security and interests of the United States. All thinking Americans have now agreed that the nation is in danger; the danger comes from the conquerers of France. Some still are reticent to admit that Germany and the United States cannot live together in peace; the ideal of peace, as President Conant has said, is the dominant and strongest ideal in their minds. Yet, even these people who feel that peace at any price is better than war, have reluctantly come around to thinking that we may not be able to live in peace with a victorious Hitler.

It is useless for those who have consistently argued that the fate of democracy and the tangible interests of his country were being decided on the battlefields of France to lose hope. The mistakes that were made in the past cannot be rectified. We can only look back on Versailles, the Harding Administration, Austria, Munich, and above all Spain. We now know that Hoare, Leval, Chamberlain, and the Vatican were wrong, terribly wrong. We can only say that the fondest hopes of Senator Borah are now fulfilled; America is isolated.

But, we must look towards the future and make sure that the same mistakes are not made again. We must arm intelligently and without hysteria. We must make sure that the enemies of democracy do not use this will to arm as a means to found Fascism in this country. Above all, we must not desert Britain and her Empire because they are today our first line of defense. Britain will now be fighting at terrific odds; she may crack beneath the strain just as France has done, but the British fleet must be saved from Hitler or we will find ourselves pawning our democracy in order to build a two ocean navy. Britain is today a very weak first line of defense. We must strengthen it immediately with supplies, planes, ships, and, if necessary, men. If Britain falls we must fight on the sea; the fall of France is only the beginning of a long struggle, but we must go into the struggle because we can not live alone. Our goal must be a new France and a free America.