America and the "Greatest Enemy"
Colonel Knox, the United States Secretary of the Navy, warned an audience at Washington -bit 'Monday _against expecting an "early, conclusive showdown with_ the: Japanese navy." He re- minded them of the great distances involved in the conflict, and of the task imposed on the American and British navies of main- taining effective fighting strength in all seas and in all oceans. His speech showed conclusively that the American administration is not thinking of the war in 'terms of japan alone, or even Primarily, but that it regards "Hitler and Hitler's Germany as the greatest enemy." If the United States had been taking the short view she might have elected to concentrate all her strength and resources against the Pacific enemy, and in so doing she Would have been compelled to neglect Europe and the Atlantic.
But she is not. She knows that it is essential to ultimate victory that none of the pressure exercised against Germany, and none of the measures taken to safeguard the Atlantic, should be relaxed. Hitler is still capable of dealing lightning blows which, if not parried, might have disastrous effects on the Allied cause. From the control-position which he holds in Europe he might attempt invasion of North Africa from Sicily and southern Italy, where he has large concentrations of force ; or from the Balkans by way of Turkey or the Aegean ; or by way of Spain and the Straits of Gibraltar. He might even hazard a costly invasion of this island from Norway or the Low Countries or France. Against all of these possibilities the Allies have to be on their guard, and nothing would please Hitler better than that America should put so much of her energies into the war with Japan that she could not help Britain and Russia, or join in the Atlantic patrol. This does not mean that we can afford to be complacent about the Far East, to think so much about Hitler as to neglect Japan. In avoiding our temptations as the Americans are avoiding theirs, our proper role is in this respect identical with theirs—to "maintain effective fighting strength in all seas and in all oceans."
