SIR, —A fortress having free access-to the whole outside world-would not,
be called "beleaguered." -England has that free access-; yet Dr. Shackleton Bailey says We are-now -living- in a beleaguerectfortress."- It is, on the contrary, Germany and the countries she occupies, and
Italy, that are truly "beleaguered," for they are cut off from the world outside Europe by our sea siege, and so can get no tropical Or overseas goods. Europe is not self-contained but must be largely fed from the tropics. For instance, because German-occupied Denmark is " beleaguered " by us, many Danish pigs and cattle have already had to be killed for want of seaborne fodder. Italy will soon run short of coal, oil, cotton, rubber, and other seaborne commodities. If England really were "beleaguered," as we nearly were by German submarines in 1917 before we adopted convoy, Hitler need never make the "serious attempt at invasion" that Mr. Bailey expects. Why should he, when he need only wait for our early starvation and
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