From Our Own Correspondent
NEW YORK.
The isolationist campaign all over America continues with unabated fervour. There are those who attribute the campaign largely to Nazi inspiration and seek even to identify it as a sort of Fifth Column activity. A distinction must be made between the noisy and frenzied isolationism of the "Yanks Are Not Coming " variety and another isolationism which is strictly native. The letter operates through the activities of Fr. Coughlin, William Randolph Hearst, and some others.
The Communists are the most rabid isolationists, their obvious motive being to keep the United States. out of a war in which the Soviet Union would be involved. Hence the Communist span sored "Peace " demonstrations on April 6, anniversary of America's entry into the World War. This demonstration was supported by a group of labour unions whose leadership is known to be Communist. There are, practically speaking, no Nazis in the American labour moveanent. That is, it is known that there are Communist Party members and fellow travellers in control of certain unions, but there is no union known to be controlled by Nazis, Where the political influence is not Stalinist then it is Social Democrat, Socialist, or antiStalinist of some other type, and, of course, in the great majority of unions, especially those outside the industrial centres, the dominant influence is native American.
Recent and Bizarre
Any isolationism in American labour unions is, therefore, either native American or of Communist inspiration; it is certainly not Nazi.
American Nazis have managed to make the most of native anti-Semitism. But even in this regard there is great confusion of opinion, due to the NaziSoviet pact and the invasion of Poland. While many Americans were willing to dismiss the destruction of Czechoslovakia as a deserved visitation on Freemasons and Leftists, the invasion of Poland made the matter more complicated; on top of that, the Nazis made a deal with their supposedly deadliest enemies, the Communists. Many reasons advanced by Nazi sympathisers here for overlooking previous Ifitlerian depredations have disappeared, leaving only one major reason for isolation, the belief that the present war is a conflict between rivcil imperazeism.s.
A very recent and bizarre development in war opinion is the hostility on the part of Nome Jews towards England, because of England's policy in Palestine. Between the Nazi purge and the British intransigence in Palestine, these Jews are inclined to regard the war as a choice of evils.
Keeping in mind the Nazi-Soviet pact, the Scandinavian invasions and all the developments since September, 1939, I would say that American isolationism has very little pro-Nazism in its makeup. It is true, however, that the Nazi agents can work on such factors as native anti-Semitism, Irish Anglophobia, provincial isolationism. and distrust of European diplomacy. But the Nazis did not plant those attitudes or opinions.
New Red Papers It is worth while noting that the American secular Press has taken what may be described properly as a proAllied view of the Scandinavian invasion, in spite of all the Nazi excuses. In cartoons and editorials the invasion is deplored, while the treachery of Norwegian Nazis comes in for special denunciation. The respect lost by the Allies when they let Poland go down before the Nazis has been recovered to some extent by the British resistance In the north. Now there is a prevalent wish that the British will be successful in stopping the Nazis in Norway, although there remains the original suspicion of British imperialism, What is surprising at this stage is the growing influence of Leftist publications. Within the past month a new weekly magazine, called Friday appeared In New York, which is edited by a group of Stalinists, some of whom a.re definitely known to be Communist Party members. Another Leftist publication, also under Stalinist aegis, is P.M., a daily tabloid, due to appear in a few months. There is no pro-Nazi publication which can match the Leftist publications in influence and acceptability among Liberals.
American Nazis are no doubt active in promoting American isolation, but their activities are in no way to be compared with Communist activities in point of effectiveness.