MR. ROOSEVELT AND THE AXIS
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR] Snt,—Mr. Roosevelt's demarche promises, at the moment of writing, to be a helpful move ; but I confess to having suffered some hours of acute anxiety between the publication of the news on Saturday and the appearance of the reactions in the Axis Piess. I was amazed, but immensely relieved, by the nature or those reactions. It seemed to me so obviout a move for Italy and Germany to respond with the " assur- ances " requested. Axis assurances have hitherto been all too readily forthcoming, and the effect in England might have
been disastrous. Nothing makes British public opinion go so completely to pieces as the sudden relaxation of extreme ten- sion. A conciliatory response would probably have released the present tension with the suddenness of a snapped bow- string. It would have been the story of Godesberg and Munich over again, and once again the public, as it recovered from its hysteria and tried to justify to itself its optimism, would have begun to believe any fairy tale—even the quite incredible fairy tale that German and Italian aggression have no further objectives. The attitude of the Nazi and Fascist Press is to me inexplicable, except on the hypothesis that the Axis is already too deeply committed to s fresh and imminent move, and the danger still exists that the official reply may be more subtle and less uncompromising. It therefore still seems to me worth while to say to the public beforehand : Don't, in any case, imagine that the tension has gone. Remain as completely sceptical and as resolutely vigilant as you seemed at last to have become a week ago. Axis assurances are still worth precisely nothing.
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