America's Growing Confidence
The deep disappointment expressed in the United States at the failure of General de Gaulle's expedition to Dakar is it- self some measure of the higher expectations of British successes which have recently been raised in America. There is no denying that in last June and July Americans were far more pessimistic about Britain's hopes of survival than we were in this country, and even in August confidence in our power of resisting invasion and of winning the war was far less than here. But with the repeated story of British successes in the air the tide of confidence rose steadily, though there still remained doubts about the full credibility of our victories and fear that we were concealing losses. It appears that the evidence of the highly reliable military mission headed by Brigadier- General Strong has gone far to remove these doubts and misgivings. General Strong and his colleagues were told everything, shown everything, and allowed to verify reports in any way they chose, and they did their job thoroughly. They found on one occasion from personal investigation that when the British reported 185 German aeroplanes wrecked there were in fact 192. They assured themselves that not only was the R.A.F. holding its own, but that British aeroplane production was being maintained and that little military damage was done by raiders. They have examined the land as well as the air defences and are convinced that the chances of successful German invasion are now infinitesimally small ; and, in general, that with material and moral support, but without the man-power, of the United States, Great Britain will win the war, though it will be a long one. General Strong has emphatically stated his view to the President and to the public in the United States, and his evidence has gone far to reassure American opinion.
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